An Artfully Misleading Interpretation
by District-9-Guy
Summary: "The old Cashmere is gone. If I win the Games, I'll get her back." This is the story of Gloss' games through the eyes of a District 9 tribute. Sorry, the story is better than the summary.
1. Chapter 1

**An Artfully Misleading Interpretation**

Authors Note: So, this is my first story, and probably my last, so I'm really excited. It's about a boy from District 9 volunteering for the Hunger Games and making a strange alliance with one of the other competitors, Gloss. (Gloss is obviously going to win, but I promise I have a plan to make it interesting.) I honestly worked really hard on this and I hope you like it. NOW TO START!

THE PROCESS

"Welcome, welcome, to the tribute selection for the 68th annual Hunger Games!" announced Karlyn Fatisse, the escort of the District 9 tributes. Despite having the second worst district, only being beaten by District 12, she seems rather cheery. Her sea foam green curls bounce around as she prances around the stage, hovering over the glass bowls that contained the name of every 12 to 18 year old in District 9.

"Let's get down to it, shall we? Ladies first!" She reached down into the glass bowl, fishing around for a while before she latched on to one of the slips of paper, swiftly swinging it into the air. "Our female tribute will be... Katalina Rhymer!"

There was utter silence as Katalina made her way to the stage. We could possibly have a winner this year, you could practically see everyone thinking it. Katalina was District 9's very own nutcase. When she was a child, she seemed normal enough, but when her father and mother were publicly executed for stealing grain, Katalina lost it. Completely. She had to be arrested twice. Once for plotting the deaths of four of the Peacekeepers when she was only 12 and the other detainment was for the attempted assassination of our mayor. I really have no idea how or why she hasn't been executed yet. She's committed so many crimes and she's only 18. Maybe the bowl is just entirely her name, so they could get rid of her for good.

She had the regular look of District 9, a completely normal shade of brown hair and piercing green eyes. Katalina, however, had one distinct feature that separated her from the rest of the 9 girls: her hair came down to her knees. Many of the other girls had hair shorter than mine, coming only to their shoulders or mid-neck, to keep them cool from the intense heat of the sun during grain harvesting.

When she finally made it to the stage, there was very light applause. Karlyn shook her hand and congratulated her, giving the 'may the odds be ever in your favor' speech. Karlyn finally took her attention away from Katalina to go to the glass bowl that contained the males names.

"Now for our male tribute," Fatisse began, "Byron Kozlow! Come on up, Byron!" You could see the fear in his eyes, despite his passive facial features. I honestly believe he could burst into tears at any minute, but he held it together. I looked over to his family and that's when I realized... He was apart of the wealthiest family in District 9, and he was only 12 years old. I instantly felt bad for them, losing the heir to their fortune.

Seeing his mother break down made me feel horrible. He has so much potential, so much to live for. He won't have to work in the grain fields for the rest of his life, he won't struggle to provide for his family, he won't have to worry if he'll have to steal to get food for the next day, unlike me.

I'm 17. Once I turn 18, I'm out of the Community Home, and I won't provide anything to society. I'll just be another field worker, harvesting grain, only caring for myself. No matter how I slice it, I will never amount to even a tenth of what little Byron could. The thought even crossed my mind that it would be better to die a fast death in the arena rather than feeling my body break down as it eats away at itself from starvation.

Lost in my thoughts, I almost missed Karlyn's call for volunteers. "Volunteers! Going once! Going twice! And that's-"

"I volunteer for tribute." I immediately made my way to the stage and replaced Byron Kozlow. I knew it was a death sentence, but staying here is one, too.

The shock on Karlyn Fatisse's face was evident. I was the first volunteer in the history of District 9. I stood on the stage, concealing all emotion, glaring at the cameras that broadcast to the Capitol. I could see my harsh expression on one of the screens that broadcasts the reaping. I looked rather dramatic, actually. My mid-back length brown hair flowing freely in the breeze, headband concealing my forehead and bangs hanging down on either side of my face.

"And what might your name be, young man?" asked Fatisse, not yet having recovered from the shock of having a volunteer.

"Varin Terill." I say coldly, not giving Fatisse a glance, holding my glare at the cameras. I hope President Snow can feel my rage. I don't plan on winning, but I do plan on humiliating the Capitol anyway I can. I've always considered these 'games' barbaric, brutal. Why not just execute 24 children? It would honestly be the equivalent. One goes crazy and 23 die.

"Well, Varin, it was very valiant of you to volunteer, may the odds be ever in your favor!" The constant emphasis of that phrase irritates me. The odds were in no one's favor. Ever. Everyone in the districts suffer from these games in some way, shape, or form.

Katalina and I stood as Fatisse finished up the Reaping ceremonies. After they were over, we were rushed to the train station and put in separate rooms guarded by Peacekeepers for the hour of visitation. I really didn't expect Katalina or myself to have any visitors. We were both orphans, both worked in the grain fields, and both excluded ourselves from society as much as possible.

The end of the hour was approaching when I heard the door creak open. In the doorway stood Byron Kozlow's mother, tears streaming down her face. She ran over, pulled me up off of the couch, and gave me the tightest hug I think I have ever received. She whispered a quick 'thank you' in my ear and then left.

Even if it was just one woman that I had never met, it meant so much that she cared enough to come in. She just made me feel so much better about my decision, letting me know that I wouldn't go forgotten.

Soon after, Katalina and I were taken out of the isolation rooms and put on the train. Karlyn Fatisse showed us around and told us that dinner would be served at 7:00, and it was mandatory. We would be watching the Reaping from all of the other districts while we ate.

I decided to sit in my room alone and try to accept the fact that I will probably die within the next month. It's not an easy thing to swallow, so I start to imagine how the arena might be. Thoughts of the previous Hunger Games consume my mind. One thought that keeps coming back is the Career Alliance. They always brake apart when there are only a few tributes left. I think that if I survive that long, I might have a chance at winning. And that's what I decided to do. Survive, not fight. Almost every winner that had not been from District 1, 2, or 4 only had one or two kills.

It was 7:00 as I made my way to the dining car. Katalina and Karlyn had already taken their seat at the table and were having a seemingly normal conversation, which I find hard to believe, with Katalina being the fruitcake that she is.

That's when I realize, there are no mentors here. District 9 has had five winners. The winners of the 2st and 4th Hunger Games were both from 9, but they have both died. The winner of the first Quarter Quell was from 9, but she has died, also. The winner of the 43rd Games was from 9, but he went mental and hung himself from the mayor's office. The 59th Hunger Games winner was from 9, but I haven't seen her anywhere. I'm almost absolutely sure she isn't dead. If we have no mentor, we're both going to lose. Without a doubt.

Fortunately, I was wrong. Twenty minutes late, our mentor, Lucille Theron, struts in the room. She takes her seat beside Karlyn and acts like it is perfectly normal that she was late, like we were supposed to arrive at 7:20 instead of 7:00.

"Katalina, Varin, nice to meet you. I'm Lucille Theron, I'll be your mentor." She said in a rather depressed tone. It must be sad to see tribute after tribute die after all of your hard work. She remained silent throughout the rest of dinner. Only when we started watching the Reapings did she speak up.

District 1 starts us off, their tributes being Velvet Trufas and Gloss Melrose. The other Melrose sibling, Cashmere, won the year before. I expect he believes he can do the same. The Velvet girl didn't seem like anything special, just the typical District 1 female career. Gloss, however, seemed different. He doesn't look trained at all, neither did his sister, but she still showed incredible skill in the arena. Another trait he shares with Cashmere is his good looks. It must run in the Melrose family. His blond hair moving all in one direction, blue eyes staring down the crowd, and that trademark Melrose smirk. Cashmere had shown that smile many times before. It's quite scary, like he has already planned how he will kill every tribute in the arena.

Next was District 2, Iris Carroll and Blair Gwynn. They had the 2 look – intimidating, scary, and strong. District 3 provided the usual scrawny tributes that sometimes proved themselves by creating their own weapons. District 4 added two more careers to the list, Aletha and Barron. I didn't catch their last names. No more stood out to me, until we got to our very own District 9. I hadn't noticed it when we were standing on the stage, but Katalina had been giving the cameras the same glare I had. The rest of the Districts passed by, none looking too intimidating.

Putting the careers behind us, Katalina and I look the most intimidating. I don't know how or why, but I have a strong feeling that we will get some sponsors. It isn't like either one of us is ugly, and Katalina played it off as though she was a normal girl. I just glared, but my looks should get me through.

Unknown to Katalina, Karlyn, or myself, Lucille had been taking notes throughout the entire playback of the Reapings. She stood up, turned the TV off, and started her lecture. "Obviously, Districts 1, 2, and 4 are going to join up as a career alliance. Avoid them at all costs. If you can survive until they break their alliance, you certainly have a chance at winning. Watch out for the Melrose boy, though. His sister won last year, if he survives the break of the career alliance, he'll probably win this year." She took a short breath and continued.

"You probably didn't think much of it, but the girl from 3 had a devious look on her face. Although training in 3 is very uncommon, don't underestimate her, she could create a machine that could annihilate the competition. It's happened before, Wiress did it. Both tributes from 5 volunteered, as you probably know, that usually doesn't happen. They probably have a plan of some sort and will most likely form an alliance. Avoid them too." I was blown away by how fast she had gathered all of this, they only showed the tributes for around 30 seconds each, and none of them even talk!

"None of the other tributes stood out to me as a threat. When we get to the Capitol, I'll start teaching you strategy. I'll wait until your first day of training so you can decide how you want to 'play the games.' I'll see you then." With that, Lucille left the room and disappeared one of the various corridors of the train.

Karlyn looked stupefied as she says, "I've never even seen her speak to tributes on the train before, she must think you have potential!" A ghost of a smile appeared on Katalina's face, I tried to look as indifferent as ever, but it wasn't working. "Well, it's getting late, we should probably get to bed. We'll be arriving in the Capitol midday tomorrow!" Said Karlyn as she excused herself from the table. After a few moments of silence, Katalina made her way to her room, and I soon followed the trend.

Stepping into my room, I strip my clothes and prepare to get into the shower. We had a shower room in the community home, but the water was always cold and it smelled of mold and mildew. This shower was amazing, various temperature controls, I could even change the direction the water came out and how fast.

I stood in there for around 30 minutes, doing nothing, just enjoying the water. I decided to wash my hair, selecting the mint shampoo. A nozzle came out and dispensed the proper amount for my hair length and volume. It was completely amazing.

I take my time, making sure my hair is thoroughly clean. Appearance is everything in the capital, I'm not about to have my chances for sponsors reduced because I don't look good enough.

After getting out of the shower and drying off, I just fling myself on the bed, not bothering with clothes. What's the point? No one should be coming in here anyway. If they do, they see me naked. Who cares?

Almost as soon as I hit the plush, fluffy bed, I'm asleep. I wake up the next morning to Karlyn Fatisse's horrified gasp. She must have been my wake up call, the gasp did the trick. She practically flew out of the room. It brought a smile to my face, it will probably be the last one for a very long while.

"Come out when you're good and ready!" I heard Karlyn yell from the hallway. I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a plain shirt. We won't be in the Capitol until noon, I have no one to impress until then. Pulling my hair into a loose pony tail, I drag myself to the dining cart, hoping that Karlyn wasn't the only one at the table.

Luckily, my wish came true, everyone else except Lucille had arrived. She said she would see us after the first day of training, that's tomorrow. I guess we won't be seeing her until then.

Breakfast is eaten in silence, other than the times Karlyn tells us things about the other tributes she has learned about. To be from the Capitol, she isn't that bad. Her hair color is really the only thing abnormal about her, really. Compared to Katalina and myself, she is the epitome of normal-ness.

After breakfast, Karlyn announced that Katalina and I could do whatever we pleased, as long as it didn't involve killing or escaping of any kind. She put an emphasis on escaping, I assume that had been a past problem. Karlyn gave each of us a map of the train, telling us to meet back at the dining cart at 12:00, looking appropriate for television.

While looking over the map, I noticed a place called the glass car. I had no idea what it could be, so I made my way there. I could see sunlight pouring through the cracks of the door that led into this glass room. After working with the doorknob a bit, I made my way into the room, astounded by what I was seeing.

The whole car, other than the floor and ceiling, was glass. Where we were at, you could see for miles in every direction. It was absolutely beautiful. Only after five minutes of staring in awe did I realize I wasn't alone in the room. In a lounge chair in the corner sat Lucille Theron, watching my every move.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She said, barley above a whisper. "It is, I've never seen anything like it." She patted the seat of the couch beside her, motioning for me to come and sit. I took a seat, just staring out all the windows for a while before I broke the silence again.

"So..." I started carefully, "How did you win your games?" This question had been eating away at me since I met her yesterday. A range of emotions flashed across Lucille's face. Anger, sadness, fear, they were all there. She took a deep sigh before she started.

"Me and a few other tributes decided that the Careers weren't going to be the only ones with an alliance. Districts 5, 7, 8, and 9 teamed up." She wiped the tears starting to form away as she continued. "There was no neutrality. You were either with us, with the Careers, or dead. The Careers took the Cornucopia and the lives of the tributes from 7 in the bloodbath, but we killed both from 4 and the girl from 1 on the first day." Lucille got up and started to walk around to avoid showing emotion, it was working.

"When the Careers and our alliance had eliminated the neutral tributes, we went after each other, meeting at the Cornucopia for our final battle. At the end, it came down to the girl from 2, the boy from 1, Benley, who was the boy from 8, and myself. The boy from 1 snapped and killed the 2 girl and Benley." Tears were pouring out of her eyes now, she clearly had an attachment to this boy. "Benley, however, was able to wound the boy enough to where he couldn't run as fast as me."

"I sprinted around the arena until I found myself behind the boy, and I ripped open his back with my sickle, parallel with his spine. His cannon sounded, and I was announced winner." She practically collapsed on the couch after she was done. It was true what everyone said, you lose one of two things in the Hunger Games – your life or your sanity. Silence dominated the room until we saw the Capitol in the distance.

"It's not a pretty thing, Terill. Not at all." Lucille exited the room to, I presume, get ready. I make my way out too, not wanting to disappoint Fatisse on arrival in the Capitol. I make good time getting back to my room, it's 11:40, giving me just enough time to change and make it to the car that we would exit on. I pulled on a white button-up shirt, a blue tie, and khaki pants. I leave my hair the way it is, in a messy pony tail. Nothing too snazzy, but TV appropriate.

The crowds are cheering like crazy as we are escorted from the train. It's almost deafening, they've been going for eight districts before us, and there are no signs of quieting down. We make it into the styling building shortly after our arrival, and Katalina and I are separated.

I'm taken in a room and laid on a cold, metal table. It feels like they're about to do some major operation, but it's just my stylists. The prep team comes in and immediately gets to work. They strip me of my clothes and start with a bath. The second time today someone has seen me naked, how nice. My hair is the center of attention after the bath, as they focus on getting every last split end, knot, and tangle out. It's probably the most painful experience I've ever had. The prep team quickly leaves, leaving me alone in this strange room.

My stylist walks in and starts to explain who she is and what District 9 would be dressed like this year. She seems like she has a superiority complex. "My name is Venicia, I've been told to make you presentable this year, and that's exactly what I'll do. With you being District 9, your theme will be grain."

She struts around the table, taking in every bit of me she can. "You should do fine, you're attractive enough. The outfit we're going with should work well with your hair and eye color." Venicia walks over and presses a button on the wall, making an outfit shoot out.

Black pants with what appears to be roots shooting down the legs, a tan shirt with a collar of fake grain. That's all. It looks nice and all, but it isn't that special. She points to the clothes, motioning for me to get dressed, which I do without hesitation.

Venicia then starts on my hair, working feverishly. Not even ten minutes later, she takes me to a mirror to show off her finished project. My hair looks amazing, the best thing about this whole ensemble. My bangs, falling on each side of my face like normal, have been reshaped to look like pieces of grain. The rest of my hair is arranged in some kind of crown on my head, looking a lot like a cloud, but more defined. It's essentially an intricate bun. Braids hang form the cloud of hair half-way down my back. I really feel good about my appearance, and clearly Venicia does, too.

"It's time, Varin. Show them that you can work an outfit." She says as she walks me out of the room and to the chariot. Katalina is standing by, looking stunning also. She has the same cloud of hair, but coming out of it is one huge braid, hanging nearly to the floor. It looks like three braids braided together, something I have never thought of, but it works very well for her.

The Capitol anthem starts booming through the stadium as we board the chariots. District 1 starts moving and shortly after the rest follow. We wave and smile, earning many cheers from the Capitol crowd, more than 7 and 8 who precede us.

Once we reach a stop, President Snow begins his speech, shows the reused clip of why the Hunger Games are so necessary in our society, and finishes with "May the odds be ever in your favor."

With that being said, the chariots are withdrawn and we're returned to the Training Center where we'll be staying for the next four days. Katalina's stylist is clapping like a madman and Venicia has a triumphant smile on her face. Apparently, we did good. Lucille and Karlyn arrive shortly thereafter to congratulate us.

The Training Center is very nice, the rooms are filled with huge, plush furniture and the kitchen table awaits us with a feast of food. We all sit down and start eating, Karlyn reminding us of our manners every chance she gets. Many compliments are thrown towards Katalina and I, saying we handled things very professionally. Lucille reminded us to choose whatever we would like to train with tomorrow, and she would base our strategy off of our choice. "Remember, analyze your opponents. Pay close attention to what they choose to do, it could be the difference between life and death." Lucille said sternly. Analyze the opponents. That's what I have to do.

After dinner, we are excused to our rooms. I take a quick shower and lay in bed naked, like the day on the train. What's the point of putting on clothes when you sleep? Everyone says you have trouble sleeping, but I'm out in an instant, and the next thing I know, there is a training uniform hanging on the doorknob and an note that says 'Training at 9:00, don't be late.' I look over at the clock, it is 8:35.

I pull on the uniform and head out into the living area, putting my hair in a loose ponytail in the process. Katalina awaits in her uniform, hair in a bun to keep it from getting in the way of her training. "It's 8:40, want to just go down there now?" She asks. "Sure, it can't hurt to be early."

The elevator ride is a short one, and we arrive in the small waiting area, the actual training center not being open yet. The only other tributes are the pairs from 1, 2, 3, and 4, the boy from 8 and the girl from 10. Everyone else arrives on the next elevator load, and the doors to the training center open. Many stations surround the room, the center is made up of targets and training dummies for weapons practice.

The man in charge explains the rules of the training center, and we are allowed to start. One station catches my eye, acrobatics. The woman there seems excited to have a student as I walk over. "Welcome to the acrobatics station, I'm Seriah!" The woman said excitedly. I gave a quiet hello and she started her lecture. We did some practice, and I discovered that I'm actually quite flexible and strong, so I can do a number of the techniques she is showing.

As I'm observing Seriah, I'm keeping a close eye on the other tributes. The careers seem to have gathered together. Velvet, the girl from 1, is doing target practice with shuriken, and hitting every mark. The Melrose boy is stabbing some dummies with a dagger, nothing too impressive. Iris is slaughtering training dummies like they are real competitors. The sickle she's wielding makes it's way into torso after torso, every hit being a kill. Blair is practicing throwing his axes, almost with as much accuracy as Velvet's shuriken.

The pair from 3 are focused on knot tying, along with Aletha, the girl from 4. Barron, her male counterpart, is practicing with his sword, doing almost as good as Iris with her sickle. The pair from 5 are intensely listening to the camouflage mentor, probably planning to hide it out until they can kill without worrying about being killed. Katalina is busying herself with throwing knives, doing fairly well for someone who is mentally unstable. No one else is doing anything of importance.

After my training session with Seriah, the servants set up tables and bring in lunch. I sit alone and eat on my own, Katalina is sitting with the girls from 3 and 10, the pair from 5 are sitting together, and of course, the careers are eating together. The food here is as good as in the room or on the train.

As I am taking the last bites of my food, I notice that the career table has dispersed, leaving to go to different tables, probably to try and intimidate the other tributes. Iris is with the pairs from 11 and 12, Aletha is harassing the boy from 6, and both from 7. Blair goes to the boy from 3 and the pair from 8, and I have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Melrose in the flesh. At my table, invading my personal space. Velvet seems to be the only one not harassing people and wears a bored look on her face.

Gloss sits in silence, almost as if he's waiting for me to speak first, which I do not plan on doing. It's clear that the silence grows uncomfortable for him, so he starts to speak. "You know the careers are going to win anyway, why not just join our alliance?" Is this what this whole thing is about? Getting people to join the career alliance? I still don't speak.

"You'll have a better chance of surviving if you're with us!" He tries to say in a persuasive voice. It isn't working. I finally speak. "If I join you, the first time I turn my back, I'll be dead. You know it, I know it, everyone that you're trying to 'recruit' knows it. So why even bother?" Gloss is about to speak again when we hear a scream of rage, a manly yell, and guards trying to break up a fight.

Barron had obviously chosen to try and recruit Katalina's table. She was obviously not having any of that. When I looked over, Barron had a bloody nose, his face already starting to swell. He's holding Katalina by her neck when she kicks him in his private parts. He doubles over in pain, and before he can react, her knee is in his face. Guards pull them off of each other and give the announcement that both of them will not be allowed to train tomorrow. Katalina and Barron were both sent back to their respective floors, and Gloss continued on with the conversation.

"Eh, you're right. Velvet was the only one who didn't want to do this, she thought it was cruel to trick them into their deaths. It doesn't even really matter to me, I'm not staying with them, anyways." Gloss said in a monotone voice. This caught me off guard. 4 didn't always stay with the careers, but 1 and 2 were pretty much inseparable. "Why aren't you staying with them? You are from a career district."

"They're just going to try and kill me eventually, why take a chance? I'm staying with them during the bloodbath so I can get weapons and supplies, and then I'm gone." He said with a bored tone, like it was the most simple concept in the world. Gloss left after he presented that information to me. I let this information set in through the rest of lunch.

The last hour of training went by smoothly, learning about edible plants and knot tying. We were dismissed and I got stuck on an elevator with all of the careers, everyone else piled onto one before anyone could get to it. Aletha was holding up a conversation about how many people she thought she could kill with Blair, Iris and Velvet were gossiping about drama back in their own Districts. I stood silently in a corner, Gloss had his eyes set on me the brief time we were in the elevator, but that wasn't long, seeing that he had to get off on the 1st floor.

Lucille was waiting on me as I exited the elevator, a notepad and pen in her hand. I could see that it already had notes on it, probably from what Katalina had told her. She is staring at me intensely, waiting for me to speak. "It went well."

"Well that's a relief, I thought training had ended when she returned, but it turns out that she got," Lucille emphasized the next words, "KICKED OUT OF TRAINING." Katalina's rebuttal came through a closed door. "It wasn't my fault that dumbass from 4 is already trying to kill me!"

I couldn't help but smile, despite the seriousness of the situation. They were fighting like a mother and daughter. Their argument continued for some time, and I made my way to the living room so they could fight it out however they pleased.

Karlyn was also in the living room, watching Ceaser Flickerman and the head game maker discuss this years tributes and who they thought would do well. Both bet that if one of the pair from two didn't win, Gloss would take home the prize. As they were discussing the Districts that didn't have career tributes, 9 came up a lot. It was either '9 looks intimidating this year,' or 'That girl from 9 has a criminal record.' Nothing specifically about me, but it was nice to know that we were getting some publicity, unlike 8, 11, and 12. They hardly ever got anything sponsor related.

Lucille entered the room, mentally exhausted from her outburst with Katalina. "So, Varin, tell me about the other tributes. I already have from Miss Rhymer that 1, 2, and 4 are focusing solely on weapons." I decided to talk about the pair from 5. "The pair from 5 are focusing on camouflage, if that's anything of importance. And the careers tried to recruit people for their alliance, just so they could kill them when they turned their backs."

"Ah, they tried that trick when I was in the games. No one fell for it then, either. So 5 is camouflage, and will most likely form an alliance with each other. Anything else?" Lucille looked back up at me from her notepad. "Well, Gloss told me he was going to abandon the careers after the bloodbath..." Lucille's eyes widened. "Did he say why? He'll be their number one target." I continued the story of what he had told me. Lucille thought it was very suspicious, and Karlyn said to not trust him. Karlyn also said her work trying to get sponsors was going very well, and if we did good on our interviews, we would be guaranteed at least 4 gifts in the arena each. Today is looking up.

Nothing much happened the rest of the day, dinner was entertaining with Katalina and Lucille keeping up their fight. Karlyn and I conversed about life in the Capitol. Apparently it's all it looks like, people with freaky hair and bodies living to watch these games. I think it's horrible, Karlyn seems to have that mentality too, but she's not saying it. I don't blame her, either. We're probably being closely watched all the time

I went to bed early tonight, ready for the next day of training without Katalina. Nightmares haunted my sleep. I kept seeing everyone dying, some were killed by their own weapons. Katalina had multiple knives in her body, Velvet was covered in shuriken, Blair had an ax blade buried in his head and chest. The pair from 5 were drowning in paint when I finally woke from the hellish nightmares.

It was only 6:00, but I got up and dressed for training, and sat at the kitchen table. Lucille arrived in the kitchen next. "Couldn't sleep? I bet it was nightmares. They plague everyone before the games, I bet Karlyn even had some." Lucille said as she started rummaging through the cabinets. I just nodded in response to her question. "The day after tomorrow, you'll be in the arena. I hope you're ready." She said as she found a bag of butterscotch candies, popping three in her mouth, handing the rest of the bag to me. I put one in my mouth, too.

She was right, only two more days of civilization. Then the arena and the games and the deaths. I'm not prepared. It's hard to think about the fact that I will probably be dead within the next week. Twenty-three people are about to die. The odds that I'll survive is 1 in 24. That's about a four percent chance that I'll live. Hopefully the odds will be in my favor in this years annual Hunger Games. I find myself eating more and more of the butterscotch. Like a nervous habit is forming right in front of my eyes.

Apparently thinking takes up a lot of time, because Karlyn is rushing me out of our room, mumbling something about how she doesn't like babysitting. I stuff the bag of butterscotch in my pocket and head to the last day of training together. The elevator ride is extremely quick, and I practically sprint to the training room, the reality of me not wanting to be late setting in.

I make it only four minutes late, but that's too much. The girl from 10 is already at the acrobatics station. Seriah, however, motions me over. I guess she'll teach both of us at the same time. "Good job being late, Varin." Seriah says sarcastically. The girl from 10 smirks, and continues her work on back hand springs, something I had just started learning at the end of the session yesterday.

I try to perform a back hand spring, like the other girl is doing, but I fall, and almost break my neck in the process. The girl laughs hysterically as Seriah helps me up and shoots a stern look at the girl. "Mira, it isn't polite to laugh when people mess up." Mira quickly stops laughing and apologizes. "I'm sorry, it's the first funny thing that has happened in this hell hole." I can't blame her for laughing, I practically flailed myself backwards and then got scared and forgot to use my arms. I would have laughed too. "You're fine, I would've laughed too." I said as I pulled myself off of the ground.

Mira continued her lessons, mastering everything Seriah goes over in a matter of minutes. If I have to go up against her in the arena, I will probably die. The first horrible thought enters my head. I hope she dies in the bloodbath. I'm appalled with myself for thinking that, but it would be better for me if she did.

I go back to the edible plants station and do more work there, memorizing every detail that I can. Fire starting is relatively easy, I got a fire started within a minute with and without a flint. Some of the other tributes were struggling, but that isn't my problem. The worse they do, the better.

Lunch comes and goes quickly, being not anywhere near as exciting as yesterday. I ate alone again, Gloss stared at me again, too. He's a weird one. I hope he doesn't try anything stupid in the arena. I still can't get over the fact that he's separating from the careers. Maybe I should just tell them now, then they'll kill him in the bloodbath like everyone else.

Lunch ends before I can tell them, so I decide not to do it. I spend my last hour of training at the acrobatics station again, Mira is there too. I perfect my back hand springs just as the last session of training ends. Seriah bids us a farewell and says she hopes one of us wins. She must not get a lot of students.

I make it back to the room quickly. Lucille doesn't harass me anymore about the other tributes, Karlyn is talking on the phone to who I assume are people who are interested in sponsoring us. Katalina is locked in her room, and I decide to do the same. I take a shower, cleansing myself of the sweat and blood obtained from the intense acrobatics training.

After the shower, I take a nap, only to find myself dealing with awful nightmares again. This time, all the careers had ganged up on me, each wounding me with their weapon of choice, before Barron finished me off with his sword. The pain was unreal, like it was actually happening.

I woke myself up yelling, Karlyn knocking on the door to make sure I was alright. "Varin, Varin! Are you alright in there?" She said in a panicked voice, she probably thought I was trying to kill myself. "Yes, I'm fine. Just bad dreams." I said in a bored tone. "Okay, I was just making sure." She walked away after that. It was 11:35, I had missed dinner, fantastic.

Dragging myself out of bed, I made it to the living area, where Karlyn and Lucille were sitting. I took a seat on the seat near the window and looked out on the Capitol. It was so happy and cheerful, the complete opposite of what I was feeling. They should have to send tributes into the arena, too. See how they would feel about sacrificing their own children. I bet they wouldn't be having parties then.

Lucille must have picked up on my emotions, because she handed me a map and stared at me like she thought I knew what to do. "Go look around, Varin. It'll be good for you." She said in a comforting voice. "We can leave our rooms?" This was news to me, I thought we were locked in here until the games. "Of course, the only real rule you have is you can't kill the other tributes. The Capitol is cruel, but they won't deny you of death wishes. Everything you can imagine is in this God-forsaken building." Lucille said, pointing at the map. "There's something different on every floor. We have the lounge, you should go check it out."

With her advice, I leave. My hair is loose, I'm wearing a shirt that's two sizes to small, and I'm not wearing pants. But who cares. I grab the bag of butterscotch and head across the hall to the lounge. I hear talking through the open doorway, and wait before I barge in the room.

"Ya know, sponsors love a good relationship, do you have your eye on anyone?" A familiar female voice says. "Well... there is one person here that I could tolerate long enough to get gifts." A voice that I recognize as Gloss' says. "Ooooh, Glossy, spill it. Who is it?" The female voice must be Cashmere. There was a long pause before he continued, "The boy from 9 seems as good as any. He's not unattractive, either." Gloss said in a monotone voice.

I was practically seething. I'm just going to be a pawn in Gloss' games until my usefulness has run its course. Then he'll kill me like I was never there. That is just dandy. He'll regret this in the arena. But I can benefit from this, too. I throw four pieces of butterscotch in my mouth and keep eavesdropping.

"Scandalous, the Capitol people will eat that up. Good thinking. We can talk more later, I have to go save Velvet from your other mentor. Poor girl won't have a brain by the time he's done babbling on about everything that comes to his mind." Cashmere said as she stood. "Okay, see ya later, Cash. Make sure to keep this on the down low, I don't want Velvet to kill me before I can put my plan into action." Gloss said while laughing. "Okay, I promise." Cashmere laughed too and made her way to the door.

I took a few steps back towards the door leading to my room, and grabbed the doorknob, making it look like I had just exited. Cashmere gave me the smirk as she walked to the elevator. They won't know what hits them when we get into the arena. I walk into the lounge and take a seat on the love seat across the room from Gloss, who must have thought it was okay to go out in public in just your underwear, but I'm only wearing a shirt and underware, so I don't have much room to talk. It has a lovely view of the Capitol and the mountains that surround it. Within seconds, he is sitting on the love seat too.

He just sits for a while, staring out the window. The dark lounge causes our reflections to be in the window. I finally figure out he's not looking at the city or the mountains, he's looking straight at my reflection. I glare harshly at his, and he clearly sees it.

"If looks could kill..." Gloss says, looking away nervously. "They might, in the arena." I say back, words like acid. "No need to be rude, doll face." He says, flashing the Melrose smirk. "Why fake it, we're going to be killing each other the day after tomorrow." I say, keeping up the harshness in my voice. "Not necessarily," He says as he scoots closer to me, his finger tilting my chin to look at him, "We could team up." His voice took a seductive tone, his eyes grew softer, and he put on his best seductive look.

And I hate myself for saying this, but it's working. But this could be the opportunity to play him for the fool he is. I shift my body so I'm fully facing him and lean onto the warm, bare skin that is his shoulder, keeping eye contact the whole time, all the while thinking how much he'll regret trying to seduce me into an alliance.

"I didn't think of that," I said in the best seductive voice I could muster. I started tracing shapes into the muscles on his arms. It wasn't very good, but I kept going, "Maybe we can 'play' together." The emphasis on the word play, and the wink that accompanied it got quite the reaction of Mr. Melrose. He pulled me closer and flung my legs over top of his, blue eyes looking intensely into my green. "Sounds like a plan."

That's when it happens. Something I was totally unprepared for. Gloss' lips are pressed against mine, waiting for a reaction. There's a war going on in my mind, whether to just drop the act now and leave, or to keep it up and kiss him back. I decide the latter would be better in the long run, so that's what I do. His lips work against mine like no one before. He's certainly a good kisser. It was over almost as soon as it started. "You taste good," said Gloss, the seductive look back in full force. "Make sure you keep that up in the arena, and our 'teamwork' will last a long time." He winked at the end of that statement.

It was my turn to have a reaction. I looked away, pretending to blush. Soon after, I stood up and announced that I had to go back to my room because I was tired. Gloss seemed to buy into this, and he let me up. "I think it's time I go back, too." He said as he walked towards the doorway. Before I could make it out of the room, he pushed me up against the wall, using both of his hands to hold mine, and pushing his knee in between my legs. I push my hands against his chest, he wasn't budging, so I decided to trace the muscles on his torso, starting with his abs an going up. This clearly is throwing him off guard, because it takes him a while to start speaking.

"Let's keep this little alliance on the down low. Okay, doll face?" He said using the seductive look again, regaining his composure. I lean in, making my mouth right next to his ear. "You don't have to worry about that, sweetheart." I whispered. To top it all off, I licked the shell of his ear. His limbs turned to jelly, and I knew my plan was complete. My tracing had just brought me to his pectorals as I pushed him gently off of me and made my way back to the room. "See ya in the arena, big boy." I said as I unlocked the door. "B-bye..." He stammered. Gloss Melrose is mine. A triumphant smile spread across my face.

Karlyn and Lucille have retired to their rooms by the time I get back, and Katalina's room is still locked up tight. I don't have any idea what she could be doing in there, so I just head back into my room. Tonight has been successful, is my only thought as I enter bed and drift off into a relatively peaceful slumber.

Karlyn barges into my room the next morning and practically pulls me out of bed. "Varin Terill it is 8:56, you are required to be at individual training at 9:00! Get out of bed now!" She threw clothes at me and pushed me into the living room where some kind of breakfast bar-thing was waiting for me. "Eat this while you're on the elevator, it'll wake you up! Now go!"

I look over and notice Katalina is receiving the same treatment from Lucille. She is also handed the bar and we are both shoved out of the door at 8:58. The elevator arrives right at 9:00, just on time. Katalina and I are the last ones to arrive. I take a seat near the back of the room and Katalina goes back to her group of girlfriends from 3 and 10. Gloss quickly claims the seat beside me and starts telling me what I missed. Apparently, Lotus, the boy from 5, and Leucine, the boy from 6, got into a fight. They had to be put in handcuffs and brought to opposite sides of the room. He was also talking about various death threats that were going throughout the group of 24 tributes. Apparently, Aletha and Barron had quite the hit list. The animosity has already started, splendid.

Gloss' name was quickly called to go for individual training, I wished him luck, trying to keep up the act. He winked and told me he would do his best for me. Velvet was next, then Blair and Iris. The time seemed to be flying by, and before I could register, it was my turn.

The game makers were looking down on me as I entered the room. Some of them were slightly tipsy, but that was just fine. I really haven't planned on anything that I was going to do, so I just started an acrobatics routine. First some cartwheels, then some flips, and finally back hand springs. I completed the ropes course with relative ease, earning some good looks from the game makers. I hadn't done anything with weapons, so I picked up two daggers and started assaulting the dummies. My knife skills weren't that good alone, so I combined them with the acrobatics. The combination went well, and some of the game makers even clapped as I was excused.

I was sent back to my room to observe the decisions of the game makers. It seemed like they made the decision so fast. First up was Velvet with an eleven. I wasn't surprised, her shuriken skills were above par. Gloss managed to earn a ten, I don't know what he did though. The only thing I saw him do in training was stab things. Blair and Iris both earned an eleven, too. No surprise there. The girl from 3 earned an eight and her male counterpart earned a six. It was shocking, some of the lowest scores usually come from District 3.

Aletha earned a nine and Barron an eight. The pair from 5 each earned a seven, and the boy from 6, a seven also. Sixes, sevens, and eights were all earned from Districts 7 and 8. Katalina was the first tribute from 9 presented, earning a nine. Claps and cheers were shared around the room. I was next, the moment was tense. The score that appeared on the screen was a nine. I was ecstatic. They say it's good luck to earn a score that's the same as your district number. Mira earned an eight. The rest of the tributes got seven or above.

"Well this is just fantastic," Karlyn announced to us. "You each got your district number as your training score! They say that's good luck!" She said as she came around to give both of us hugs. "Yes, very well done. Almost as good as my score." Lucille said from her place on the couch. "Well, Theron, what did you score?" Katalina asked, words harsh. "I scored a ten, thanks for asking." Lucille threw up a fake smile that enraged Katalina. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to kill her yet.

"The only reason I haven't tried to kill you yet is because I'm actually taking my medicine!" Katalina yelled. She quickly covered her mouth, like she had revealed some huge secret. "What did you just say?" Lucille asked. "Is that your plan, Katalina?" I said from the couch. Katalina sighed and spilled the beans. "Yes, I have medicine all the time, but I just never take it; however, I always take it near the time of the reaping, just in case I'm chosen. I'll be sane enough during the interviews and training to get sponsors, but once I run out, I'll turn into a killing machine." She said, not making eye contact with any of us.

Lucille stood up and did something unexpected to everyone in the room: she hugged Katalina. "Katalina that is brilliant! Why didn't you tell me!" Pure excitement was coming from Lucille's face. "Because I didn't want Varin to know, obviously. I really don't know how someone as dense as you could have won the Hunger Games." Lucille shoved Katalina off of her and her look changed dramatically. "You are such a bitch. I hope you fail your interview." Lucille spat. They continued their argument, the insults getting more immature as they went on.

Karlyn motioned me over to her, beginning to start her part of training. "Well, the interviews are tonight, I guess I should train you while they finish their little spat with each other." The victors always say this is one of the worst parts of training throughout the entire process, so I'm eager to see how this goes.

The next three hours I spend working on posture, attitude, and etiquette. How the residents of the Capitol do this everyday I will never know. My back aches from the thirty minute session of straight standing that Karlyn makes me do. Katalina joins us sometime in the training, complaining about most of the things we have to do, specifically the attitude part.

Venicia and Katalina's stylist come into our room once our training with Karlyn is done. Venicia practically shoves me into my room and throws an outfit at me. "Put it on." She commands, staring me down. I pull off my current, bummy clothes and put on the new ones Venicia had created for me. A gray suit with a purple undershirt and a purple and gray striped tie. Snazzy. "Fantastic." Venicia says as she opens the door and motions for me to exit the room.

Karlyn and Lucille are waiting in the living area when we come out. "Sit on the couch, please." Venicia demands more than asks. I do as she says and she starts working on my hair. In a matter of minutes, my hair was complete. My bangs fell on both sides of my face, one strand of hair came straight down the middle, curving to the right of my head. The rest was pulled into three ponytails, which were then braided together. Once again, the my was the best thing about me.

Katalina walked into the room shortly after, wearing a revealing purple and gray dress with ruffles that started at her waist. Her impossibly long brown hair was curled and pulled into two huge ponytails. Metallic gray stripes were coming out from her eyes, completing the look of the Capitol. Her appearance was sure to be a hit.

"Well, it looks like we're ready to go." Katalina's stylist says. "Yes, it seems to be that time." Venicia leads the way to the auditorium in the Training Center. Most of the other tributes have already arrived, and are looking fantastic in their clothes. Velvet is wearing a long, flowing silver dress and her waist length blonde hair is pin straight, showing off her slender figure. Gloss is wearing a matching gold suit, with a white tie. His blond hair is spiked up to the max, but still retaining its natural look.

The interviews begin shortly after we arrive, with Velvet being up first. Unlike most females from District 1, she did not count only on looks to carry her through the interview. When the topics of the games came up, she said she truly did not want to kill anyone, but she would if it meant her winning. Gloss was up next, taking the funny approach. Caeser Flickerman made this easy, their banter easily entertaining the crowd.

Iris and Blair followed the standard 'We're District 2, and if you get in our way, you're dead' approach. Celeste, the girl from District 3 wowed the crowd with her intellect. She was also very kind, keeping a friendly relationship with Caeser. Barron and Aletha were cruel, like the tributes from 2.

Lotus and Sabrina, the boy and girl from 5, practically told everyone their plan. They were daring, but not cocky. Leucine, the boy from 6, was very cold and calculating. He literally had come up with equations of how long he could live without food and water by knowing how much he had eaten before he entered the arena. He also informed the crowd about his knowledge of poisons, and how to make people suffer. No one was left unaffected by his coldness.

Districts 7 and 8 took the family approach and how they were so unlucky for being reaped. Everyone is unlucky, except for Gloss, Iris, Blair, Aletha, and myself. We all volunteered. Katalina was next in line, and she strutted onto the stage, impressing everyone with her looks. The pretty girl from District 9 went on and on about how everyone hated her back home, which they did. It worked well for her. Caeser didn't ask about her criminal record, which was probably a good thing.

My name was being called before I could register it and Mira had to push me so I would begin walking. "Well everybody, it's time to meet our male tribute from District 9, Varin Terill!" Caeser said to the crowd, which was cheering wildly. He shook my hand and motioned for me to sit. "So, Varin, a 9 in training! That's the same as your district number, they say that's good luck!" He says, elbowing my arm. "That's what I've heard, I hope it's true." I say nervously. "So, any fears going into the arena?" He continues. "Well, crowds and public speaking are really the only things that scare me, so if I can do this, I should do amazing in the arena." The crowd laughs a little and I start to relax, not forgetting my posture rules.

Caeser lets out a hardy laugh before continuing on with the interview. "Varin, you're District 9's very first volunteer. Why did you do it?" That was the question I was waiting on. I can elaborate on it until my time is up.

"Well," I start off slowly. "When they called Byron Kozlow's name, I didn't think twice about it. Better him than me, but then I actually looked up to see who it was. He was a member of the wealthiest family in District 9. I work in the fields and live in the community home." I took a brief pause to make myself look sad. "I realized that I could never amount to anything near what he could, I wouldn't contribute to the District like he could. So I volunteered, and I don't regret it one bit." I finished strongly.

"Varin, that is very valiant of you. Panem needs more people like this young man right here." Caeser said while scanning the crowd. "Well, it looks like your time is up Varin, I hope you do well in the arena." He stood up and I did too. We shook hands one last time, and then I was off, the crowd now cheering for Mira, who was being called up. I didn't pay attention to any of the other interviews, too relieved that I got my own over with.

"Great job guys," Karlyn said as we made our way back to the room. "I should be able to arrange for at least 4 gifts each in the arena for you two!" She was very excited. District 9 didn't have very good tributes. "It really was an excellent display on both of your parts. Well done." Lucille continued. "Now, try and get some sleep. Tomorrow will be rough, I can assure you of that." She was frowning now as we made our way into the room.

My death could occur tomorrow. Katalina's death could occur tomorrow. Anyone of the 24 tributes deaths could occur tomorrow. Those thoughts haunted me as I sat in my room, alone. It is awful. Tomorrow could be my last meal, my last sunrise, my last everything. Needless to say, I was not able to sleep. This is probably going to hinder my abilities in the arena, but oh well.

Breakfast was served as normal, Lucille advised us to eat everything we could, as it would be our last meal for a very long while. I drank probably a half gallon of water at breakfast, Katalina probably did the same. The time flew by as Karlyn gave her teary goodbyes, saying we were some of the best tributes she had ever been presented. Lucille took us to the elevator to board the hovercraft.

"Now remember, get a weapon, find water, and steer clear of other people unless you know they won't kill you. Try to stay alive, for me." Lucille said, the tears welling up in her eyes. A simple 'okay' was all I could spit out. Katalina hugged Lucille and began to speak. "I'll do my best, I promise. To make up for the hell I put you through here." Tears began pouring down Lucille's face as the ladders from the hovercrafts appeared. I grabbed on and was instantly frozen in place, as was Katalina.

The ladders start to go up as Lucille waves goodbye and makes her way back into the building. Our tracking devices are inserted into our arms, the sharp pain is almost unbearable. The next hour I spend rubbing my arm and looking out the window of the hovercraft. Everyone is silent. No one has anything to say to anyone now. The death threats from the training center will no longer just be threats, they will be actions.

The hovercraft lands and we are separated, taken into rooms deep below the ground where our stylists are waiting. Venicia is holding the outfit in her hands when I arrive. "The material is very durable, it won't rip unless it is cut open. It seems as though it is made to contain heat, but I cannot tell." She hands me a tight black shirt and something that resembles black leggings to put on. "They also have this extra pair of shorts for you, they are made out of the same material as everything else."

I pull on the pair of white shorts, the white boots, and white coat, and wait. Venicia says nothing, and the call is made for the tributes to enter the tubes. Once I am in, she walks over and says her goodbye, watching me ascend from this subterranean prison.

Ooh, guys, the Games are gonna start soon! Yayayayayay! Please review, it would make me a happy camper. And if you made it this far, thank you so much for giving this story a chance!


	2. Chapter 2

**The games are starting guys! It was really fun to write this, I hope you enjoy!**

THE GAMES

I'm temporarily blinded by the intense light from the arena. My eyes quickly adjust and I take in everything I can see. A completely clear blue sky hovers above us. All 24 tributes surround the Cornucopia, equidistant from the center. There is a variety of terrain around the small arena.

Directly in front of me, behind the Cornucopia, is what seems like a desert with various large rocks scattered around. Truthfully it seems like a place tributes would go when they wanted to give up. There were no signs of water, food, or shelter. To my right is a huge forest, the trees probably over 100 feet tall. I'm sure many tributes will flee there after the bloodbath, if they survive. Small ponds could be seen on the outskirts of the forest. To my left was a lake, nothing more, nothing less. Just a lake.

Behind me was my best bet for survival: a huge meadow. There were a variety of flowers, some very small, some coming up to shoulder height. Knowing the game makers, most of them were probably poisonous, but the lake and the desert provided no hiding spaces. And the forest was sure to be filled with tributes. The meadow it is.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 68th annual Hunger Games, begin!" A voice boomed over the arena, and the countdown began. I now started scanning the Cornucopia. Some things were scattered about the arena. The things nearest me were a bag of fruit, a loaf of bread, and a length of chain, probably about eight feet long. There was also a box of some sort, but I wasn't going to take my chances on something I wasn't sure about. I looked over to my left and right, and luckily there were no careers near me.

Celeste, the girl from 3, was on my right, eying the box. Leucine was on my left, staring hard at the center of the Cornucopia. I couldn't make out what he was looking at, but it looked like a staff of some sort, maybe a spear, I can't tell.

But it doesn't matter anymore, because the gong sounds, and everyone is sprinting towards the Cornucopia. I run forward towards the chain and pick it up, who knows when it could come in handy. The bag of fruit is next, snatching it up as quick as I can. The decision was an easy one, fruit has more water content than bread. I see Celeste out of the corner of my eye, the mysterious box and the loaf of bread in hand, running towards the woods.

I'm about to flee to the meadow when a backpack enters my field of vision. Backpacks are almost always filled with useful things, such as sleeping bags or bottles of water. I run towards the pack, but then I notice something. It sounds like something is flying through the air, almost like bugs. The game makers wouldn't send in mutts this early though. I look around, searching for the source of the bizarre noise, and I don't see anything. But that's because I'm looking for bugs, not Velvet's weapon of choice.

I look over just in time to see the boy from 11 fall to the ground, two shuriken in his neck, one in his left temple. Velvet has already found her weapons and started killing. Her piercing blue eyes set on me next, readying the next three shuriken. I stand up and start spinning the chain as fast as I can while running. She unleashes the three weapons, all of them flying towards me. The two aimed for my neck are deflected by the chain, the one that was going for my temple was lodged in my shoulder. The pain was intense, but I can live. I could keep running.

Yanking out the small object, I flung it back at her, still sprinting towards the meadow. She easily dodges, and the last I see of her, she has been drawn back into the bloodbath by the other tributes. I can hear the screams of the dying children, it's much different than hearing it on TV. When you hear it in your home, you're disgusted, you want to help. But in real life, you just want to get away from the screaming and death, away from everyone.

The smells of the flowers immediately take over my body. It's like nothing I've ever experienced, the sweet aromas filling my nose. As I continue running, I notice I begin to get light-headed. These flowers don't smell good for just any reason. We're in the arena created by the Capitol, everything has a reason. They're poison. The end of the meadow is in sight, plain grass and some bushes are visible now. Running as fast as I can, I try to make it, but I don't. My legs give out as I lose consciousness. The last thing I see is the boy from 8 on the other side of the flowers. I just hope he doesn't see me.

The sky is a fiery orange as I open my eyes, the sun setting in the background. Looking around slowly, I start to stand up when I hear the sound of footsteps in the distance. The footsteps were coming from inside the meadow, so I force myself up and out of the forest of poison flowers. My chain is ready as the noise comes closer. All I can hope for is that it isn't one of the careers, but I'm not that lucky.

Gloss makes his way through the flowers, waving at me like a madman. I lower my chain, but I still keep my defensive stance, just in case he has led the other careers here. He must notice my tension, so he starts to speak. "They didn't follow me, I already got my supplies and left. I came the direction I saw you come after you left the Cornucopia. Are we still together?" This was a relief. "Sure, for now. Why did you not pass out? The flowers are poisonous." I say as I turn around and keep walking, searching the area for any water, the only necessary supply I didn't pick up at the Cornucopia. I'm not sure how long the alliance between Gloss and myself will last, but I will make the best of it now.

"What do you mean they're poisonous? Nothing happened to me, I didn't even smell anything from them." Gloss said curiously. Poison flowers that the game makers can control. Snazzy. "Well I sure did, they made me pass out, I wouldn't even be here if I hadn't. I guess it's your lucky day." I say sarcastically. Gloss throws a water bottle at me, it must be obvious that I'm thirsty and looking for something.

"So, what did you manage to pick up?" He asked, unloading the pack that looks exactly like the one I tried to get. I threw all of my stuff on the ground, I didn't feel like telling him. He did the same. A sturdy dagger, two bottles of water, two loaves of bread, a bag of dried fruit, a sleeping bag, and a backpack lay in front of me. He made out well, but the careers weren't trying to kill him. The sun is almost completely down and the chill in the air is now obvious.

"We need to find shelter." I say matter-of-factly, waiting for his response. "That's a good idea, the careers will probably be hunting tonight, and the woods are right beside of us." I look over to take in my new surroundings. The huge trees are beside of me, towering over us like the buildings of the Capitol. There is just an open plain with some small trees on the other side of us, probably the back of the lake. That must mean we're on the complete opposite side of the arena from the desert.

We pack up our things and head to one of the bigger bushes behind the meadow. The trees nearest us in the forest weren't low enough for us to climb, and there was no sign of a cave or anything of the sort. We decided it was too risky to venture into the forest, as the careers could already be on the hunt.

It was hard to get into a position that hid us well at first, but Gloss and I eventually figured it out. We decide not to eat, saving our food rations for later in the Games. I sip the bottle of water until the Capitol seal appears in the sky. The anthem starts to play and the dead tributes show up, one by one.

First is the boy from District 3, so over half of the Careers survived the bloodbath. Then it is the girls from 6, 7, and 8. All the careers had made it, plus Sabrina, Lotus, and Leucine. The boys from 10 and 11 showed up next, along with the girl from 12. All in all, seven people died at the bloodbath. That is a relatively low number, but it's to be expected, the lowest training score was a 6. Sometimes that was the highest outside of the careers.

Gloss and I settled in for the night, deciding not to sleep. I occupy myself with my hair, braiding it, then removing the braid. I eventually decided on a ponytail with multiple hair bands. My hair alternated from braided to left alone in each section divided by a hair band. Gloss was cutting the leaves of the bush with his dagger, looking absolutely in another world. I was content on watching him for the rest of the night. It looked like a battle was going on in his head, about what I don't know.

Then the screams and laughter came. Gloss and I were both immediately on alert, peering out through the leaves of the bush. It was absolutely black outside until the light of distant torches appeared. The boy from District 8, whom I had seen earlier, ran past the bush at full speed. He wasn't fast enough. Barron caught up to him easily, holding him by the fabric of his shirt, which probably originated from his district. Something he could have created will be the death of him. Aletha materialized seemingly out of nowhere, snaring the boy in a net. "Who gets the honors?" I heard Barron ask. "You two can do it since you caught him." Said another male voice, most likely Blair's.

"Okay, let's have some fun..." Aletha said in a sadistic voice as she pulled out a long, curved kinfe. Fear overwhelmed the boy, he frantically tried to back away, but the net was preventing that. "Don't worry, little one, this will only hurt for so long..." She said as she made the first deep slice across his face. His nose and cheeks immediately started pouring blood. She swiftly jumped out of the way as Barron came down on him with his sword, cutting off his forearm. Next came his foot, blood was pouring out of his body.

Screams of pain invaded the silence of the night. I had to bite my tongue as to not gasp. Gloss was staring on in rage, the grip on his dagger making his knuckles white. "Don't do anything stupid." I whispered as low as possible to Gloss, who looked over at me, rage filling his face.

Aletha had cut out his left eye by the time Velvet had seen enough and intervened, grabbing her by the neck. She was clearly shocked, fear making itself a new home on Aletha's face. Barron stopped his torture to see how this would all play out. "I already think you're a conceited bitch, your attitude has proved that. If you don't finish him now, I will kill you." Her threat was real, anyone could see that. She let go of her neck, her hand print visible in the soft glow of the torches.

"Oh really? The pathetic bitch from District 1, I'd like to see you try." Aletha said as she lifted her knife to Velvet. She nailed the boy from 8 in the temple with a shuriken to knock him out and end his misery. Blair and Iris were backing out of the way now. "Do you really want the alliance to end this quickly?" Iris said from the corner of the group, a worried expression on her face as she pulled out the sickle that she was carrying.

Blair was readying both axes and preparing himself for battle. The pair from 2 were muttering things to each other. I only caught bits an pieces though. I could make out 'Velvet is more valuable.' and 'Kill Aletha first, she's more dangerous than Barron.' The careers had already analyzed each other and were ready to split. The tension must be high in the group.

Barron raises his sword now, making both of the tributes from 4 on the offensive. Velvet grabbed six shuriken from her pouch and readied herself to fight, her blue eyes filled with rage and determination. Her face was completely emotionless, the same way I saw her at the bloodbath. This must be how she is when she's ready to kill.

The boy's cannon sounded: death from blood loss. His body and the various severed parts lay in a pool of thick, red liquid. "There, he's dead, we can drop this now." Blair said in a commanding, yet worried voice. Aletha lowered her knife and Velvet her shuriken, but Barron kept his sword raised. "Barron, put your sword down, now." Blair commanded, and he finally complied.

The Careers moved on, back into the woods, not having seen us. The hovercraft came and took away his body, making multiple trips as to make sure they got all of the parts. It is the most gruesome thing I've ever witnessed. I crawled out of the tangle of branches and leaves to make sure the careers were gone before I emptied the contents of my stomach. Gloss joined me shortly after. The first non-bloodbath death is usually the worst. I don't know if I'll be able to handle anything worse than that if it happens...

I finished throwing up and started to crawl back into the comfort of the bush when Gloss stopped me. "We should go to the Cornucopia. We need more supplies." What does he mean we need more supplies? He made out very well and I can fend for myself. "Why do we need more supplies? We have a good amount of food and there's a whole lake right beside of us. And ponds if we go into the woods."

Gloss stared at me as if I was stupid, and stated speaking to me like I was a child. "Now, Varin, do you really think that water is not poisoned? I'm not giving you any of my weapons, either, so we might as well go to get weapons for you." Now I felt stupid. He was probably right, we need iodine to treat the water. And I don't think I have the ability to kill anyone with this chain. I could suffocate someone, but I don't think I have the mentality to handle that...

"You're right," I stood up and started gathering my things. "Let's go. I'm not going through the meadow again, though. We can go between the meadow and the lake." Gloss nodded and started packing his things. "Sounds like a plan."

The walk was a silent one, some more screams were heard from the woods, but no cannons. The lake's small waves lapping at the shore was a very relaxing sound. Gloss took my hand sometime throughout our journey, I presume this is his first action to get gifts. But nothing comes before we make it to the empty Cornucopia, the careers camp left completely unguarded.

We both ran into the golden horn and started scavenging. Two bottles of iodine were found, along with a first aid kit that Gloss kept and two knives for me. Most of the boxes were empty, the careers having gathered all of their supplies and putting them in their camp. We also found two empty canteens and decided to take them. As we were heading out, noises started coming from the careers camp. Gloss and I looked out of the holes in the 'weaving' of the Cornucopia, expecting the worst.

For the first time during the games, my luck didn't appear to be awful. Two figures stood outside the camp, both with light skin and cascading black hair. One was a girl and one a boy, it was immediately clear who they were. Sabrina and Lotus. They were whispering to each other, but we could still hear them, as everything else but the wind and the lake waves was silent.

"You go search, get some weapons and food, I'll keep watch." The masculine voice came from the one with his hair in a high pony tail, he must be Lotus. "Okay, make a bird noise if anyone or anything comes, I haven't heard any birds yet, so I'll come if I hear that." Sabrina said, her waist length black hair flowing in the breeze. "Okay, got it." Sabrina made her way in the tent and started scavenging while Lotus kept watch. That's when it happened.

There was a flash of white, a pained moan, and a cough. Lotus' body lay limp on the spear that was holding him off of the ground. Sabrina came out of the tent and started speaking, "Hey, Lotus, I found some –" Once she saw his body impaled on the spear, she dropped everything she was holding. The most blood curdling scream I had ever heard escaped her lips. "Sa-Sabrina..." Lotus moaned before his cannon sounded.

"Lotus! Lotus!" She kept screaming his name, as if he was going to pull himself up off of the spear. The flash of white came again, Leucine appeared and yanked his spear out of Lotus' body and laughed. He must have been hiding in the desert... Sabrina picked up a huge black knife and a small white dagger and immediately got in a defensive stance. "I told you I would kill you, District 5." Leucine's long white hair and red eyes were towering over Lotus.

There was something off about his appearance, Leucine. He was too pale, too white. Red eyes aren't a natural color, and I'm sure District 6 isn't like the Capitol where you can dye your eyes any color you please. "He's albino..." Gloss said as if he was reading my mind. Albino, that's what it is. His body doesn't produce melanin. There's an albino kid in the Community Home back in District 9. "You're next, bitch." Leucine said as he readied his spear to throw at Sabrina.

Her demeanor changed in a flash. The sorrow on her face was replaced with rage. Despite the tears that kept flowing, her voice returned to normal, and the threats were flowing out of her mouth. "You take one more step near me and I'll rip your fucking throat out." She spat, words like acid. "Don't worry, I don't need another step to kill you." He said as he threw the spear, full force towards Sabrina. The spear head missed her completely, but the bar grazed her leg, knocking her off balance.

She quickly recovered charged at him before he could even think of retrieving the second spear off of his back. He got the spear off just in time to block the swing from the long black knife. Leucine threw a punch at Sabrina, she dodged easily and drove the small white knife into his arm. A yell escaped Leucine's lips as blood started pouring from his arm. A triumphant smirk crossed Sabrina's face. She would have surely finished him off if it wasn't for the yells that came from the entrance to the desert.

"Hey! Hey! Get away from there!" Barron yelled. Gloss and I exchanged a glance before we grabbed our stuff and ran the way we came from. This was the first time the other two had even noticed us, Leucine glared at us and Sabrina looked hurt. "I guess we'll finish this later." Leucine spat as he moved away from Sabrina. "I'll be sure of it." Sabrina spat right back.

They separated and Sabrina went back to gather the supplies she had dropped, and then sprinted back into the woods. Leucine went towards the woods also, but he stayed near the desert. Gloss and I stopped near the edge of the meadow to watch the careers actions. Lying down near some short flowers, we observed their reactions to the fight that had taken place. They hadn't seen us at all, only Leucine and Sabrina.

"That's the boy from 5... The boy from 6 must have gotten him." Velvet said. "Well thanks, captain obvious. Now we all know..." Aletha said sarcastically. Velvet and Aletha just glared at each other, keeping eye contact for a good 30 seconds. "Well, that's one less person we have to kill." Iris said, trying to keep a positive spin on things. It seemed to work, because the glare stopped and they started to inspect what they had lost. "Just two water bottles, some camouflage paint, and a first aid kit, nothing major." Blair said from the tent.

Good, I thought. They didn't even know we were here. "We should go back now." I whispered to Gloss. We crawled a while until we could stand and be concealed by the flowers, and then broke into a sprint back to the bush we had been hiding in. The trip back was much faster than the trip their, being that we were sprinting.

I stopped to fill up the canteens at the edge of the lake, dropping the proper amount of iodine solution in to purify it. Gloss did the same. The sun started to rise as we made ourselves comfortable inside the bush again.

The need for sleep overtook me as I made myself comfortable. "Gloss, we need to rest." I said tiredly. "Yeah, I agree. I don't think we need to have watches. The careers just got back from hunting, they're probably doing the same thing." He said as he pulled out the one sleeping bag. "I don't know how this will work, since we're in a bush and all, but we can share the sleeping bag. It's still kind of cold."

Gloss was right, it was still cold. The jacket wasn't doing very much to keep me warm. He crawled in the green sleeping bag, as did I. I felt safer because the sleeping bag was green. It provided camouflage, something we needed if we were going to sleep during the daylight hours.

It seemed like Gloss fell asleep almost instantly, but I couldn't. My eyes were closed, but I wasn't asleep. The scenes of the boy from 8 and Lotus' deaths kept me awake. I couldn't sleep knowing someone could come along and do that to me. Gloss wrapped his arms around me in his sleep and pulled me closer. I felt something hard in his hands, and then I realized he wasn't asleep. His movements were too coordinated. He had his dagger in his hands and was going to kill me while I was 'asleep.'

"No matter where you stab me, I'll still have enough time to reach up and break your neck. I advise against your plan if you want to live." I whispered with my eyes still closed, voice too low for the people of the Capitol to hear. Gloss' eyes snapped open and he pulled me even closer. "I'm sorry, baby. I won't try again."

I almost shoved him off of me and crawled out of the sleeping bag before I realized what he was doing. He's getting gifts from Cashmere. "It's okay, I trust you." That was a false statement, but I pulled myself closer and he planted a kiss on my forehead. The silver parachute landed outside our hideout and Gloss went to retrieve it. "Sleeping pills, two of them." Gloss said as he threw the container back out. Obviously Cashmere didn't want him to kill me off yet. We both took the pills and I was out like a light in a matter of minutes.

I woke up as the sun was beginning to set, the same fiery orange as it was yesterday. Gloss woke up at the same time, pulling me closer to him. He buried his face in my back and started whispering in my ear so the Capitol couldn't hear us. "I really don't want to kill you... I figured it would be better to do it now than later on when there's less of us. I'm sorry."

The apology sounded real, and his reasoning is solid. "It's okay, I can understand where you're coming from. Just don't do it again..." I scooted closer to him and he wrapped his arms around me. I don't regularly get physical contact, not having a relationship with anyone and living in the Community Home. I feel safe in his arms. That's kind of ironic, seeing that he just tried to kill me, but it still makes me feel better.

After lying still for about five more minutes, rain starts falling from the sky. It starts off just as a drizzle, but in a matter of seconds it turns into a torrential downpour. "We need to go into the woods!" Gloss yelled so I could hear him. Thunder shook the arena as we gathered our things and headed to the woods.

I lead the way, running past the tall trees, towards the back of the forest. A cave was our only hope in this downpour. The freezing rain was soaking us to the bone as we searched the rock wall in the back of the forest for caves. "There's one!" I said as I sprinted towards an opening in the rock.

The cave was very small. A narrow tunnel went back about four feet and then opened up enough that one person could stay there comfortably, but two people could stay there uncomfortably. It was an easy fix. The rain was freezing now, turning into sleet and then snow.

I scrambled in first, pulling off my jacket and shorts so they could dry. Gloss did the same, but started pulling off all of his clothes. "Woah, why are t-taking off all of your c-clothes?" The severe cold was hindering my speech abilities. "We'll warm up f-faster if we aren't covered in s-soaking wet clothes." Gloss whispered, now that the loud rain was replaced with silent snowfall. Again, Gloss had the logic of our pair. "T-take down your h-hair too, you don't want it f-freezing in p-place." I did what he said, and much to my surprise, some of the strands had already frozen.

The sponsors were probably lining up for Gloss, the most handsome tribute is stripping on national television. I followed suit, pulling off my legging-like pants and tight shirt and putting them in a separate pile from his. I looked up once I was done to find the man with the looks that rival Finnick Odair's preparing a sleeping bag for us. Despite my best efforts, a blush crept up on my face.

"Stop s-swooning and get in this sleeping bag, Terill. I don't plan on freezing to death on the second ni-night." Gloss said as he shoved himself into the sleeping bag. Because of the relatively small size of the cave, I was forced to lay on top of Gloss. I wasn't the only one blushing now. The heat started returning to my body during this awkward situation. I was eventually able to figure out a way to lay where I didn't have to be on top of him. We were laying on our sides, facing each other. Gloss' arms wrapped around me and I cuddled to his chest.

The Capitol's anthem started booming throughout the arena again, the faces of the dead about to be shown. We knew who they were, there were only two cannons today, and I saw both deaths. I couldn't help but go look. Lotus' smiling face was projected above the arena. Somewhere, Sabrina was crying for her loss, and Leucine was celebrating his victory. The next was the boy from 8. His soft eyes and warm smile shown down on all of us. I nearly started crying when his face went away, but I stopped myself. No one likes frozen tears.

I crawled back in the sleeping bag with Gloss, getting tired quickly despite all the rest I have already had. We don't need a watch tonight. The snow has now turned into a blizzard, no one would dare venture out in it. As soon as that thought exited my head, a cannon went off. Someone probably just froze to death, a horrible way to go.

Sleep soon took over, and I was haunted by nightmares of my mother, the boy from 8, and Lotus' death. The day my mother was killed was replaying in my dreams. When I woke up, what she made for breakfast, the image of the knife stabbed into her stomach by the robber that tried to take the little amount of money we had, all accurate.

I woke up with Gloss' hand slapped over my mouth. "Wake up, Varin! You can't scream when it's this quiet!" He whispered harshly. "Sorry, sorry... I was having a bad dream." I said as I wiped the tears away from my eyes.

It was still night, but the snow had stopped, and the cold climate had been replaced with a completely different one. The once cool air has turned warm again. If this is any sign of what tomorrow is going to be like, the arena will be a living hell. I crawl out of the sleeping bag to get some air to my sweating body. "Why is it so hot? What happened to the snow?" I said, grabbing the full canteen to drink out of. "I don't know, I woke up and it was like this. It's getting really hot in this cave, Varin, we should get out." Gloss said, packing up his things.

He was right, the new heat and the arena, plus our combined body heat, was making this cave unbearable. I grabbed my clothes, chain, knives, and canteen and headed out. Gloss hopped out of the cave and I followed shortly after. I spotted a tree near us that had branches low enough for us to climb, and we went to it.

Gloss made a home on one of the sturdier branches about halfway up the tree, and I picked one slightly above him. The heat in the tree was still awful, but it was much better than the cave. "I'm going to go up and look around," I said as I started climbing. "Watch my back."

I made it as high as I could without the branches breaking, but that was high enough. I could see the whole arena from up here. The Cornucopia, the career's camp, the desert, and the meadow. Something was different, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

The lake is gone! I thought I just couldn't see the water because it was too dark, but there's nothing there. At all. That means they're pushing the careers towards the other tributes. With their water source gone, they'll have to come into the forest for the springs and ponds, which were still producing plenty of water.

I climbed back down to give Gloss the news. "Hey, the lake's gone." An irritated snore was the only response I got. I decided to take watch, since I had slept earlier, and I wasn't too happy about the nightmares. My chain was the new center of attention. It was good and all by itself, but it wasn't a kill weapon. I had my knives, but I wouldn't dare go close enough to stab someone with a knife.

I thought for a good two hours before the idea hit me. Gloss probably would have figured it out at first glance. Taking some vines off of the trees, I tied the knives to each end of the chain, making an effective whip-like weapon.

Gloss woke up shortly after my new weapon was complete. "That's nice, how long did it take you to figure that out?" He said with a smirk. I hadn't even said anything and he already knew it took me forever to come up with this. I didn't respond.

For breakfast, we finished off my bag of fruit, which was starting to go bad, and ate half a loaf of bread. Gloss and I had emptied our canteens and only had one small bottle of water left. "We need to get some more water." I said as I started climbing down the tree. "Ya don't say?" Gloss said sarcastically. I swear, if I wasn't benefiting from our 'relationship,' Gloss Melrose would be dead.

No reply came from me as I made my way down the tree and continued through the forest. "Why are you going through the forest? We should go back to the lake, dumbass." Gloss said from the tree. "Well, you would know that the lake is gone if you hadn't been watching my back, A.K.A sleeping." Who's the dumbass now, Gloss?

Just as I finished explaining the lake situation, we both heard a muffled scream through the bushes near us and a sickening crack. A cannon followed shortly after. The bushes started rustling as the person came our way. I could see Barron lying on the ground in the bushes, his neck twisted at an abnormal angle. Water was a couple feet away from him.

Who stood up out of the bushes surprised me even more. Mira, the small 13 year old girl, crawled away from his dead body. Her brown bangs framed her face, black eyes staring through me and straight at Gloss. Her eyes weren't the same as they were in the Training Center, or like they were during the interviews. There was a glint of something else.

"What do we have here? Another career, I see!" Mira pulled out two knives and charged at Gloss, a maniacal laugh escaping her lips. Gloss readied his knife and waited on her to reach him. He waited until she was about four feet in front of him before he charged forwards, knife going for the kill.

He missed. Mira sidestepped at the last second and sliced his arm open. A yelp of pain escaped Gloss' lips. "You can't kill me that easily!" The same laugh came out of her mouth again. Poor child, she's gone insane. She raised both knives and prepared to come down on his back, but I didn't give her the chance.

I held onto one end of the chain and let the rest fly. She saw the knife just in time and jumped back. "Gloss! Get out of the way! You don't stand a chance!" He listened without a smart remark. "Okay, I'll watch for the careers!" He said as crawled past where Barron's body is, going to the other side of the bush.

"Varin, don't get in my way, I don't want to kill you..." A crazy smile covered her face, the glint in her eyes even more obvious. Despite her previous statement, she charged at me, knives ready for the kill. I stepped out of the way, but she wasn't aiming for me. She wasn't even using the knives. It was all a facade. Her plan had worked, and she yanked my only weapon out of my hand.

"This is nice... I think I'll kill you with it!" Another maniacal laugh. She flung one end out towards me. I got out of the way just in time, but I didn't stay on my feet. When I opened my eyes, the other end was coming straight towards my face. Rolling out of the way, I knocked Mira's feet out from under her and got my chain back. There was an awful cracking noise as her foot hit the ground at an odd angle.

Before she could try to stand back up, I had her pinned down. She was trying desperately to get her knives, but they were just out of her reach. "Varin, finish it up over there! They're coming!" Gloss said as he crawled through the bush about 60 feet away. As soon as he made it back to us, Aletha came barreling through the bush and saw Barron's body.

A scream of rage came from Aletha. "Carroll! Gwynn! Trufas! I found them!" She yelled. The rest were with her shortly after. Gloss and I could easily get away, but Mira would be left to face the career's, most likely Aletha's, wrath. Another crazy laugh escaped Mira's lips. She looked at the careers and threw out a string of obscenities that enraged Aletha even more. I didn't want to kill her, but I would if it meant not leaving her to the careers sadistic ways.

"Gloss, run to the bush behind the meadow." I said in a low voice, none of the careers heard. Before he could respond, I slammed the knife on the chain into Mira's heart. Velvet grimaced and Iris and Blair had a look of shock on their face. Aletha was too busy with Barron to even see anything. Blood started flowing out of the wound on her chest and trickling out of the corners of her mouth. A non-career killed someone in cold blood.

Mira's cannon sounded and I ran like I hadn't ever before. Iris and Blair were pursuing us, but they didn't stay for long. Gloss was having trouble keeping up, and I had to stop and wait numerous times. The wound on his arm was still bleeding, and now I notice the pain that's coming from my shoulder where Velvet hit me during the bloodbath.

We finally made it back to the bush and I had to clean Gloss' wound and bandage it. He'd gotten quite the collection of leaves and what-not in his cut. I pulled off my shirt and looked at the infected puncture wound. My shoulder was slightly swollen, the skin around the wound turning a bright pink. When I pulled off my shirt, the wound reopened, and pus started coming out.

I opened the whole cut back up and poured the rubbing alcohol on it, biting my lip to avoid screaming. Gloss bandaged my shoulder for me, and we rested for the remainder of the day. Mira's face was constantly on my mind. The Mira I killed wasn't the same as the one at training though... This Mira would have killed me if I had given her a half of a chance.

The Capitol anthem started to play and faces appeared in the sky. First was Barron. I'm glad he's gone. One less cruel person in the arena. Now only three people will make my death as gruesome as possible, yay! Next was Mira, the normal Mira. That was the picture they used, not the one with the glint of crazy in her eye and the maniacal laugh. The last to appear was the boy from twelve, the one that most likely froze to death.

"I'll take first watch, you've had a hard day." Gloss said, preparing the sleeping bag. I was about to argue when I realize, I have had a hard day and I want to sleep. So I do just that. Gloss sits outside of the sleeping bag while I rest.

Surprisingly, no dreams haunt my sleep. It's just me standing alone at the Cornucopia, nothing else. It's ominous though, like something is about to happen. Gloss woke me up shortly after, signaling that it was my turn to watch. He had to pry my fingers from his thigh, apparently I had found him to hold onto while I was asleep.

It had been two hours and nothing was happening, so I turned my attention to a small ladybug crawling around on one of the leaves. Part of me wondered if it was a mutt, but it probably would have killed me by now if it was. As the sun started to rise, it flew away towards the meadow, probably to go eat or do ladybug activities. It seems so out of place here, so innocent. Poor thing.

I woke Gloss up when the sun was fully risen. We ate the other half of one of the loaves of bread and some of the dried fruit. Gloss had gotten some water yesterday when I was busy killing off the crazy girl, so breakfast was an overall success. Calling her 'the crazy girl' instead of Mira made me feel better about what I had to do.

The air in the arena was starting to get cool again, it was refreshing, but if it is any sign of what's to come, we better get ready. "It's getting cold again. Wanna see what's in the desert?" Gloss said from inside the sleeping bag. "I mean, Leucine's there, but I guess we could go." The fact that Leucine has already killed one person and tried to kill another makes me nervous.

"I doubt we'll even see him. He'll probably be waiting for Sabrina to come along." Gloss had a point. I think he only wants to kill those two... But who knows? "Come on, let's go." He said, all of his stuff already in the backpack. I put my canteen in my jacket pocket and carried my chain.

We went behind the lake this time, darting between the small trees so we could avoid being seen by the career's camp. We made it about a quarter away across the lake before I looked over and saw something very scary. Iris was running straight through the plain where the lake was and towards us.

"Did she see us? How did she see us?" Gloss said in a panicked voice. Aletha is standing at the edge of their camp, keeping a close eye on Iris. She was half way across the lake now, two sickles drawn and still sprinting when I saw what she was coming for. "Shut up and get in a tree unless you want to die." I said as I clambered up the one nearest me. Gloss climbed in one about ten feet away from mine.

I thought Iris was running at us first, but then I saw Katalina standing in the open, throwing knives at the ready. Iris was almost out of the indentation in the land where the lake used to be when Katalina charged. Iris launched her sickle with such speed that you could barley see it flying through the air.

Katalina stepped out of the way just in time, sending two knives back at Iris. They caught her in the calf and arm as she dived out of the way. Unfortunately, there was no water to soften her impact on the ground. Katalina threw two more knives as Iris was trying to catch her breath.

It could have happened then, Iris' death, but she moved her sickle up just in time to block the knife that would have made its home in her neck. The other one found its mark, sticking out of her upper thigh. She yanked the knife out and sent it back at Katalina, who managed to get out of the way easily.

Iris stood back up and charged at Katalina, her sickle making contact with my fellow tribute's stomach. She let out a yelp of pain before she punched Iris in the face, knocking her to the ground. Katalina raised her foot to break Iris' neck, but a long, curved knife caught her in the leg before she could do anything.

Unknown to anyone, Aletha had made her way across the lake during their fight. Iris had gotten up again, and Aletha had pulled out another knife. Katalina was cornered and was about to encounter the same fate as the boy from 8, but I'm not going to let that happen.

Before Gloss can say anything, I'm out of the tree and barreling towards Aletha, chain ready. Lucky for me, Aletha didn't notice anything and my chain was wrapped around her neck before she could retaliate. Iris was distracted by this, and Katalina took advantage of it. Two knives flew from her hand, one landing in Iris' neck, the other in her chest.

She had enough strength to swing her sickle one last time before her cannon sounded, opening the wound on Katalina's stomach even more. She fell over, grasping her stomach in pain.

Aletha broke free from the chain, her full attention now on me. "Nice try, District 9, but that chain won't hold me." She said menacingly, charging me with her knife. I flung the chain out and she didn't see the knife in time. Her eye was removed when I yanked the chain back. I couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, how ironic. Just like you did the boy from 8. But, ya know what they say, an eye for an eye." A cocky smirk crossed my face as I said that.

"You'll regret saying that, District 9..." Aletha said, letting her rage take over. She ran toward me, fists ready to pummel my face in. As she went for the first swing, I dodged and did a back hand spring, my foot catching her under her chin. You could hear her teeth slam together, cutting through the tip of her tongue. Blood was now pouring out of her empty eye socket and mouth. It was a sight to see.

A scream of rage escaped her lips as she pulled out two knives and tackled me. My chain was out of reach and she had me down. "Oh, District 9, you may have just cost me the games, but I'll drag you to hell with me!" The same maniacal laugh that Mira let out came from her mouth.

I was prepared for the worst, but the worst never came. I opened my eyes and looked up to find Gloss holding her by her fiery red hair, a knife in the back of her neck. A cannon sounded and Aletha fell limp on the ground.

I then realized that Katalina's cannon hadn't sounded yet. She was in the fetal position on the ground, hands clutching her stomach. Her loose, long, brown hair covered the ground around her. "Katalina! Katalina, just –" She cut me off before I could finish. "I'm not holding on, Varin. I'm out, we both know that." She was right, the injury was too severe, and she's already lost a lot of blood.

Katalina broke the almost unbearable silence after a few seconds. "I guess they finally got rid of me, four counts of attempted murder and one assassination attempt later..." A weak laugh came from her now pale lips. I smiled, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I guess they did, the mayor won't have to sleep with peacekeepers at his door anymore." She laughed again.

As soon as she finished laughing, a bout of coughing overtook her. She started coughing up blood, and you could see her organs starting to fall out of her stomach. She's lost too much blood. Katalina's time is coming. I fight back tears as she rolls over on her back, taking her last, deep breath. After she exhales, her cannon sounds.

The tears finally escape my eyes as Katalina's lifeless body lay in front of me. Gloss pulls me up and away from her, and I find myself fighting him so I could stay. I don't know why I wanted to stay, but I did. Gloss pulled me back harshly and threw me on the ground, ready to take me by force. I stood up ready to fight, my rage at anything and everything overtaking me.

Before either of us could make the first move, a silver parachute appeared above me. I opened it to find a loaf of District 9 bread and a bag of butterscotch. There was a note from Lucille, too.

'Distract yourself, I know it's hard, but you have to move on.' That's what the butterscotch is for, it was her way out, and now it's mine. I open the bag and put two pieces in my mouth, and I'm quickly relieved. The sweet and savory taste overtakes me, and we continue on after I apologize to Gloss.

And this is it. The real games have begun. I go over in my head who is left. Two careers: Velvet and Blair. Then there's Celeste from 3, Sabrina, Leucine, the boy from 7, myself and Gloss, and the girl from 11. The weak and unlucky are gone, now the strong and lucky play on.

Yay! Okay, so that's four days in the arena down, who knows how many to go! I wrote another story too, despite the fact that I said this would probably be my only one... It's about Lucille in the Quarter Quell. I'll put it up with the next chapter! So yeah, please review! And, of course, thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Games are ending in this chapter! Yay!**

THE SURVIVOR

Gloss wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we continued our trip to the desert, keeping me moving and steady. For the first time, I feel genuinely weak, like I can't move on. Meeting up with Velvet or Blair would almost make me happy, those two would make my death quick. The solid ground starts to shift as we make our way into the desert, the hard soil turning to sand.

After hours of searching, we decide that there is literally nothing here. Leucine probably isn't even here anymore, so we make the decision to stay the night. I drink the rest of my canteen, and Gloss does the same. We finish off the loaf of District 9 bread with Gloss commenting on how good it is. What does he expect? We are the grain district.

I set up the sleeping bag under the curve of a rock, covering it with sand after we crawl in. We should be fine if anyone comes tonight, the darkness combined with the sand camouflage should keep us safe and sound.

"We don't need a watch, Gloss. Just go to sleep." I whisper as I bury my face into his chest and let my emotions out. I came into this arena thinking I could kill the man laying beside me, but I know I can't. Not yet at least. He's kept me alive and warm and saved me from certain death twice. I can't kill him yet. I just can't.

The Capitol anthem starts to play throughout the arena, and despite me knowing who's going to be there, I look. Iris is first, her dark eyes and cold stare projected above us. Then Aletha, pin-straight red hair framing her face, a confident smile. She thought she could win, but that's what all careers think.

Katalina is next and I almost break down. Her brown hair and green eyes showing over the arena. Our similarities outweigh our differences. Both of us have uncharacteristically long brown hair, green eyes. We're both average height, tanned, and have the standard District 9 look. How easily it could have been my face in the place of hers, or even both of our faces. The anthem ends and I turn back to Gloss, still crying. I almost regret volunteering now.

He pulls me closer and starts to stroke my hair, trying his best to calm me down. "Shh, shh, it's okay. You're alright." I'm not alright, I'm having a mental breakdown. We're at the start of day five and there are only nine tributes left. The games are coming to a close and I can't handle it. I regret volunteering, let Byron be thrown in here and send me home.

"Why?" That's all I say, and Gloss doesn't seem to understand. "Why what?" He said, continuing to stroke my hair. "Why did you volunteer? Why did you put yourself in this situation?" I was starting to raise my voice, but that would mean a greater chance of dying today, so I stopped myself.

"I can't let sister dearest have all the glory, now can I?" He said while laughing. I know he's lying. I may be a little slow when it comes to survival skills, but I can read people like the back of my hand. I look up to call him out when I notice the look in his eyes. It's sad, almost desperate, so I stop talking. "Now just go to sleep, we need to rest."

I do as he says, cuddling with his arm and just letting go of everything.

Gloss' voice wakes me up a couple of hours later, I could tell by the position of the moon in the sky. He's speaking so low I can barely hear him, but there's probably a reason for that. "The old Cashmere is gone. If I win the games, I'll get her back." He doesn't have to speak anymore. I know what he means by 'gone.' I don't know Cashmere Melrose now, and I didn't know her before her games, but I can guarantee that something has changed.

"You won't get the old Cashmere back, ever." I say seriously. He shifts his body in a fidgety way, I can feel his facial expression change. "And what makes you think you'll stop me? You or any of the other tributes can't kill me!" He whispers fiercely.

"To be so bright, you really are dumb, Gloss. That's not what I meant. The old Cashmere isn't coming back. But the Gloss that entered this arena won't be the same that comes out." I leave out the part that he might not make it out, because I'm not looking to start a fight with my ally. "It'll be the new Cashmere with the new Gloss, and you'll live your mentally unstable lives out together. But neither of you will ever be the same."

He ponders this for a moment, looking as if he's about to cry. A cannon startled us from our thoughts. I wonder who it was? Have Velvet and Blair turned on each other yet? Or was it someone else? I don't know, but I don't sleep the rest of the night because of it, neither does Gloss.

Morning comes fast and we realize that we have nothing to drink. Karlyn said we should be able to get at least four gifts in the arena, so I decide to ask for some water. It comes quickly, along with another loaf of bread. We eat that for breakfast and head out to the woods, deciding it would be better for us if we were near a source of water.

We walk past a cave with fresh blood surrounding the entrance. The blood was scattered around the entirety of the cave, too gruesome for anyone of the tributes to do. The game makers have most likely sent out the mutts, this was probably the source of the cannon earlier in the night.

We make it to a small spring eventually, setting up camp there. A bush of non-poisonous berries is near us, and this looks like the safest place in the arena. A tree had fallen near the spring, leaves still covering the branches. It provides adequate cover, so Gloss and I hide there.

Only minutes later, a girl with darker skin and curly black hair, whom I recognize as District 11, walks through our makeshift camp. She is heavily armed, two swords strapped to her back, a spear in hand, and three knives on her belt. Luckily she didn't see us, and after she got some water from the spring, she was on her way.

Only minutes after she had left, an awful feminine scream was heard through the woods. Gloss and I both turned around to see if we could see what was happening, but I saw no one. There was the clanging sound of metal meeting metal and then a cannon. I would bet anything that Celeste, the girl from 3, had just lost her life. The girl from 11 who just walked through didn't strike me as a screamer, and it didn't sound like Sabrina or Velvet.

Poor girl, she was almost as young as Mira. So that's two down today, seven left in the arena. Six more dead, and we'll have a victor. Gloss and I nibbled on some of the dried fruit for lunch, but that quickly stopped when a parachute came down filled with some kind of high quality meat and potatoes. He shared with me, and after that, I felt significantly better.

"I'm going to spy on the career's camp." I said out loud as soon as the thought came to my mind. "What? Are you crazy?" Gloss said from inside our tree hideout. "No, I want to see what they're doing. Stay here and keep our camp safe." I said as I picked up my chain and headed out.

This struck a nerve with Gloss, as he jumped up and grabbed his knife, immediately on the offensive. "Why don't you want me to go with you, District 9?" He asked in a suspicious voice. "Because I just want to go alone, I'm not going to come back and kill you, I promise." His angry stare grew even stronger when I said that.

One of Cashmere's allies had 'promised' her that they wouldn't kill her last year, and that they were just going to hunt. She believed them, and they came back to try and kill her. Of course, she killed them, but it was still a broken promise. Cashmere's best piece of advice was probably to trust no one in the arena.

He snapped. "I don't trust you, District 9!" Gloss started yelling, and quite honestly, this pissed me off. "Oh, you don't trust me? Then break the alliance, Glossy. We'll see what happens to this 'relationship' if you do!" He knew that I knew about his and Cashmere's plan when I called him Glossy. "You knew and you didn't tell me!" Gloss was now screaming.

"Of course I knew! Do you really think I would trust you otherwise?" I raised my voice too. He was, for probably the first time ever, at a loss of words, so I continued. "Why would I trust a career, Gloss? Do you really think that you 'charmed' me enough at the Training Center that I would just jump into an alliance with you? I heard you and Cashmere talking after the first day of training! I'm only in it for the shared gifts that she sends you!"

I shook my head and started to walk away when a blood-coated dagger with a silver hilt flew past my head and embedded itself into a tree. The shock on his face that he had missed was evident. He tried to kill me. Gloss Melrose just tried to kill me. I pulled the dagger out of the tree and threw it back at him with all the force I could muster. He turned enough to avoid a fatal hit, but it still landed in his arm. He isn't very fast.

Yanking it out, he charged me, a rage filled scream coming out of his mouth. "You were leading me on this whole time!" Gloss yelled as he slashed the knife towards my neck, barely missing. "I was doing the same thing as you!" I screamed as I tackled him to the ground. It wasn't a smart move on my part, as he was much stronger.

I was pinned down as soon as I had reached the ground. Gloss was sitting on my legs, holding down my shoulders with his elbows as he leaned in to my face. Bringing his knife to my cheek, he started tracing little shapes in my face. "Ya know, Varin, you actually are quite attractive. Too bad you just tried to kill me..." He shook his head as he started his 'artwork' on my other cheek.

The intensity was too much to handle. His glazed over, bright, blue eyes were staring right into my green ones. The sadistic smile that his pale pink lips formed was almost as bad as Aletha's or Barron's. I could feel the knife tug my skin along as he kept cutting.

I kept struggling, as hard as I could, but he was too strong. And if I upset his elbows, that could easily mean a knife in the eye or nose or mouth. And I don't want that. Reasoning with him wasn't going to do anything now, so I just stopped. I stopped moving, breathing, trying. I just stopped everything.

He moved his knife to my throat to end it. Against my best efforts, a sob escaped my mouth. I really don't want to die, and I was sure to pay for that. The pressure of the knife on my neck started to increase, just enough to break the skin. Then it all stopped, and there was no more knife on my throat, no more elbows holding down my shoulders.

Gloss leaned close to my face and pressed his lips to mine. He just left them there before he pulled away slowly, keeping eye contact all the while. "Go." He said in a commanding voice. I didn't move immediately, so he yelled again. "GO! Before I change my mind!" He yelled and threw a pack of dried fruit at me. I did as he said and ran off, stuffing the bag of fruit in my jacket pocket with the canteen and grabbing my chain.

I ran for I don't know how long, keeping up the same pace. I ran back to where I had when the games began, behind the meadow, straight to the same bush. I crawled in and just lay there. Eventually I work up the courage to test the wounds on my face. They were there, that's for sure. He had been drawing on my cheeks, but they weren't deep enough to cause any real damage. They all were the same shape though, just varying in size. I let my fingers linger over them for a while before I figured it out.

"They're hearts..." I mumbled to myself as the sun started to set. Gloss was the only thing on my mind until the Capitol anthem started to play throughout the arena. The first person to appear was the boy from 7. He must have died in the cave, no doubt it was a horrible way to go. But what shocked me more is the fact that Celeste had not preceded him in the showing of dead tributes.

The girl from 11 was the next picture shown. The one so heavily armed that I wouldn't dare take her on. A career would probably be nervous if she approached them. I don't know who or what killed her, but they are clearly a force to be reckoned with. The anthem ended and the sky went dark again. Seven tributes left, and I know all of their names. Gloss, Velvet, Blair, Celeste, Sabrina, Leucine, and myself.

I really just want to leave, to get out of this place. I'd rather when to get out, but I'm to the point where dying is just a better alternative than staying in this hell hole. The temperature is falling again and it's starting to snow. The bush was protecting me from most of the flakes, but it wasn't insulating my body heat. I tucked my legs and arms into my coat and zipped it up, letting the little extra warmth relieve my body. Sleep comes shortly after that.

For the first time in a long while, I don't have nightmares, my dreams are even pleasant. Gloss and I are back in the lounge of the training center, just sitting on the love seat looking out over the Capitol. I'm wrapped in his arms as we look at the sun setting behind some of the skyscrapers. Gloss starts to say something, but the shocking sound of a cannon knocks me out of my sleep. I look up to see that the sun is directly over me, signifying that it's midday in the arena.

Shortly after the cannon sounds, I see the hovercraft materialize very near to where I'm hiding. The claw goes down and picks up one body that I'm not at all expecting to see: Blair's. His limp body is covered with long, silver spear like things. They're too small to be spears though, but too big to be darts. They almost look like porcupine quills, just bigger. Whether this is a game maker trap or a weapon possessed by one of the tributes, I don't want to be near it. The physically strongest competitor is gone now. Only one career left, excluding Gloss. I guess I should include him now that are alliance is broken, though. He'll probably kill me just as quick as Velvet or Blair would have.

I eat more of the bag of dried fruit that Gloss threw at me and the butterscotch that Lucille sent me for lunch. Finishing off the canteen, I sit in the bush and wait.

I'll go out at night to get more water, or I could go back to the Cornucopia and scavenge the career's camp. Velvet has probably already abandoned it. Being the only career left, it would be too risky for her to stay there by herself.

The day is about three quarters of the way over when I head to the Career's camp. The melted snow has created some puddles in the indentation of where the lake was. I fill up my canteen, not worrying about purification. If that's the way I go this late in the games, I'll be very shocked.

I take my chance and enter the meadow when I near the Career camp. Crouching down, I just watch for about two hours, making sure no one is there. Just as I suspected, it was completely abandoned. I sprinted across the opening in front of the Cornucopia and into one of their tents.

It's still filled with a fair amount of food, so I fill my jacket pockets and head into the Cornucopia. I crawl as far back as I can in the golden horn, spreading my supplies out in front of me. A loaf of bread, an extra canteen of water, and an extra knife. I took what I thought was necessary, I can always go back if I need more.

Right before the sun was completely set, a voice boomed throughout the arena. The head game maker's voice, to be exact. "Hello, Tributes. This is head game maker Seneca Crane speaking," Why Templesmith isn't speaking, I don't know. He's usually the official announcer of the Hunger Games. "I'd like to invite you all to a..." He was choosing his words carefully, not wanting to directly lie to us, but not wanting to give us the answers, either. "Give away... at the Cornucopia. Be there tomorrow at sunrise, and your odds of winning the games just may increase. May the odds be ever in your favor."

My first thought is to leave the Cornucopia, someone will probably come in here overnight waiting on the feast and not even know I'm in here. I head back to the meadow and lie down in the flowers, finishing the loaf of bread as the Capitol anthem plays. Blair's face is the only one today. I really do wonder what happened to him.

The anthem ends and the darkness returns in full. The lunar cycle has brought us to a new moon the night before the feast. The complete lack of light, other than the dim, fake stars in the sky, is going to make it all but impossible to be stealthy tonight. I know exactly where I am, but tributes in the woods and desert will have to worry about making noise as they make their way to the Cornucopia.

I can just make out a figure running through the darkness across the lake. They stop just before the ground levels out and lie down on the slope, making them impossible to see from the Cornucopia. Twigs snap occasionally from the direction of the woods. You can barely hear it, but the sound is there.

Once an eerie silence returns over the arena, I allow myself to think about what Seneca Crane said about a 'give away.' Usually they're called 'feasts,' but he didn't say that this time. Maybe there will be no food, or maybe the amount will be so miniscule that he wouldn't call it a feast. Whatever it will be, most of the tributes are here, surrounding the very center of the arena.

The game makers are obviously messing with the time, as the sun is peaking over the horizon now. I crawl back into some of the knee height flowers as to avoid being seen. I can just make out Velvet hiding in a tree about 200 yards from where I am. Her golden blonde hair is shining through some of the leaves and branches.

A head covered in short, black hair can just be seen from the valley where the lake was. Celeste. That's who it was running across the lake last night. I drink water as I wait for the 'give away' to begin. The sun is nearly all the way up when the ground before the Cornucopia opens.

Five tables rise above the ground in a perfect circle. On the tables are bags labeled with our District numbers. There are two bags on the '1' table, and just one bag on the rest. No one ran out of the Cornucopia to grab their bag as I had expected them to do, but Velvet was scaling down the tree at a very fast rate. She sprinted across the plain and made it to her table in probably record time, grabbing her bag and turning around to run back, but she never got the chance.

The silver quills bore into her body as soon a she had took one step back towards the forest. One after another, the lodged themselves in her body. There were strange sounds accompanying the needle-like objects. It was like the cannon, but on a much lesser scale. Velvet fell over and her cannon sounded. A metal clanging came as shuriken spilled out of the bag she was holding. The game makers were giving us more weapons.

I scanned the area around the Cornucopia to see if I could see where the sound and quills came from. It wasn't from the woods, or the desert. I looked over to the lake and found Celeste standing up, a long tube-like thing in her hand that had something like a pump on the end. It was an air gun. That must have been what was in the box. She took the two strongest tributes in this years games with a weapon I had the opportunity to have.

It was Celeste's turn to run across the arena now, and she did. She made it to the table labeled '3' slightly slower than Velvet had reached her table. She let out a slight, happy laugh as she stopped to pick up her bag. As she reached out to grab it, a figure appeared on top of the Cornucopia.

Leucine threw his spear at Celeste just after she saw him. She had just enough time to react, dropping her bag and diving out of the way. She ran back almost half way across the plain in front of the Cornucopia, air gun at the ready.

Leucine jumps off of the top of the Cornucopia and grabs his bag off of the table, starting to leisurely walk away. As he grabbed his bag, something happened. He froze for a second, and then started flailing around, trying to get away from the table. The a section of grass in front of the Cornucopia started to rise off of the ground, having a grip on his ankle.

At first I thought that this was a mutt, but that's not the case, Leucine wouldn't be that lucky. Sabrina has camouflaged herself to look exactly like the grass surrounding the Cornucopia, the only outstanding feature that is still hers is her flowing black hair. She pulled out a knife covered in some red substance and stabbed him once. She distanced herself from him immediately afterwards.

Leucine doubled over in pain, but this was not a kill hit. She had cut is arm open, but it was not very deep, something that probably wouldn't even require stitches. Celeste had raised her weapon to kill Leucine, but Sabrina spoke before she even had the chance. "Have fun." she said with a sickeningly sweet smile as she ran back to the forest. Suddenly, Celeste laughed and ran back to the lake, disappearing from sight as she went down the slope.

I had no idea what had just happened, but I decided to take my chance and run for my bag. Leucine had turned around and was far enough away from the Cornucopia for me to think I had a chance, so I took it. Running out, I made it to the table quickly. The bag was a bit heavy, but not too bad. I wouldn't dare take the time to open it here, I saw what happened to Velvet and what almost happened to Celeste.

Leucine had seen me and was coming back to the Cornucopia. He was blocking my way to the meadow, and I wasn't about to take a chance at seeing who is faster. I turn to the woods and run, but as I make it a quarter of the way there, Gloss comes out, knife ready for the kill. He looks mentally unstable. The look in his eyes, the way he's moving, the death grip on his knife all point to the fact that he has gone crazy.

I realize I'm trapped, so I make the decision to open the bag. I'm enthralled to see something I use almost everyday back in District 9, a long, completely metal sickle. The staff was at least six feet in length, and the curved blade was about three feet long. Leucine was holding a brand new spear as I turned to face him. Gloss stopped about ten feet away from me, standing menacingly, waiting for one of us to make the first move.

Leucine went to throw his spear, but something strange began to happen. He lost control of his arm as it started to shake violently. His whole body started doing this and he fell to his knees. Blood-red vomit came out of his mouth between the seizures, staining his white hair a sickly maroon color. He reached out to Gloss and I in a last attempt to get help. Gloss had just stopped to watch in horror, and there was nothing I could do.

Leucine's pale, red eyes snapped wide open as he went completely stiff. Blood started leaking out of all the orifices in his face. The sight was awful, but I was unable to turn away. He coughed one last time and blood sprayed out of his nose and mouth. The cough was accompanied by his cannon, signaling that he was dead.

The sound of the cannon somewhat snapped me out of my trance, and I turned to face Gloss again. However, when I turned around, he wasn't there. I turned back towards the table in time to see him pull out a long, silver sword. Just the sight of it was intimidating. He charged at me with the sword above his head, ready for the kill.

I swung out the sickle and he stopped just in time. If he hadn't, I would have ripped open his stomach, and Gloss Melrose would have been dead. After the swing, I raised the sickle above my head and came straight down on him. He blocked with his sword just in time, the blade only a couple of inches above the bridge of his nose. I was pressing down as hard as I could, but he was stronger. He let one hand off of his sword and into his pocket, pulling out a knife.

He threw the knife at me and it lodged itself in my upper arm. The grip on my sickle was gone and I had to drop it. Gloss smiled at me before he hit me with the end of his sword, knocking me out. When I came to, we were in the Cornucopia. I tried to move around, but I soon found that that was impossible. My hands were tied behind my back with my own chain.

Gloss was sitting beside me playing with my hair, braiding and then undoing the braids, over and over again. He didn't seem to notice the glare I was giving him, or even the fact that I was awake. "What the hell are you doing?" I asked in a loud voice. He looked startled as he recognized that I was awake. "Oh, you're awake." Despite the way he looked earlier, he sounds completely stable.

"Why did you chain me up?" I asked, still keeping up the glare. "I didn't want to kill you, and if you're still alive and not chained up, you'll kill me." He said as if it was the most simple concept in the world. "I'm waiting on one of the other two to kill you, then I'll kill them and win." He's sparing me so I can either die like Leucine or Velvet did. Neither way seemed pleasant at all, but this is the Hunger Games and death isn't a pleasant thing.

"Why don't you just kill me now! I don't want to die like that!" I yelled at him. "Too bad, it isn't my job to keep you happy." He said as he turned his attention to his new sword. I just sat there and watched him clean and polish the thing like it was his child when I noticed my legs weren't chained. A plan started forming in my mind at that moment.

Gloss was sitting close enough that I could lean over and kiss him on the cheek, so I did. "What's that for?" He asked, not even turning to me. "If I'm going to die, why not have some fun before hand?" His eyes shot open, appalled at the fact that I would even suggest something like that. "We're on national TV..."

"And?" That was the only response I said before I kissed him again, this time on the lips. He deepened the kiss and now he was putty in my hands. He's not stupid enough to unchain me, but he is stupid enough to try and have sex with me, something that I wouldn't dare do when there are only four competitors left in the Hunger Games.

He scooted in front of me so he could have better 'access,' and that's when I took the chance. Before he could make a move, my legs were wrapped around him. One was wrapped around his back, pushing him forward, the other was pressing his chin backwards. All it would take is enough pressure to break his neck, probably not much more than I'm applying now, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

We sat there in that position as the sun started to rise. He would eventually get brave enough to try and escape my grip, but I'll make my demands before then. "Unchain me, give me my sickle, and let me go. Now." I said in a calm voice. He tried to move, but I stopped him. "What do you think you're doing? You can unchain me from this position." He sighed as he wrapped his arms around my back and removed the knots binding my hands together and to the Cornucopia.

He grabbed my sickle and sat it at the entrance of the Cornucopia, waiting on my to let go of him. I threw his sword outside of the Cornucopia as I stood up. He looked extremely relieved to be free of my grip. I grabbed my sickle and looked at him one last time, making a promise that I would be sure to keep. "If we see each other again, one of us is dying." My green eyes bore into his blue, and then I turned and left.

He stood at the entrance of the Cornucopia as I walked away towards the woods, just watching me. I made it to the woods easily and kept going, back to the cave we had stayed at when it had snowed for the first time. It was a long journey, but it would be worth it.

As I made my way to the back of the forest, the huge rock wall came into view, but something about it was different. There was a huge crack down the center, and water was coming out. Soon after I looked up, all hell broke loose in the arena. Jets of water started spraying out of the wall until the whole thing collapsed. A wave that had to be at least 200 feet tall was barreling through the forest.

"Oh shit..." I heard someone mutter from a bush not too far away from me. Sabrina stood up and sprinted back towards the Cornucopia. She surely was watching me, waiting for the kill. I guess I have to thank the game makers for the wave, as it did save my life, but it could just as easily be the death of me as well.

Sabrina got about a five second lead on me, so I just followed her through the woods. The water had caught up to me, but not too bad. I was running in water that was about two inches deep, and rising steadily, but I made it to the opening of the forest in enough time.

There was something vastly different, though. The Cornucopia had risen up, a rock wall was before Sabrina and myself. We both immediately started scaling it, the jagged rocks providing good hand holds. I was climbing fairly well, but Sabrina was not. I was about fifty feet up when she slipped and fell down to the raging waters below. The waves were too much and she was slammed up against the wall of rock multiple times, the water around her turning red. She fell under the level of the water, and her cannon sound soon after.

Only three left now, and I could very well suffer the same fate as her. I kept climbing as fast as I could, and I eventually made it to the top. Gloss was standing at the edge of the plateau that the Cornucopia was now on, watching the water rise above. He hadn't seen me at all, so I decided to make good on my promise. It was now or never.

Raising my sickle, I ran towards him as quickly and quietly as I could. I was nearly there when I heard the sound. The God-awful sound that's less than a cannon, but just as deadly. Gloss turned around and I felt the pain in my back shortly after. Celeste had just shot me with the metal quills from her air gun.

Gloss turned around, shock covering his face. He probably expected to get hit, not me. "You're next, District 1." I heard Celeste say quietly. The sound came three times, but no quills came out. The look on her face was a combination of terror and shock. Gloss charged at her, sword raised for the kill. She had just enough time to try and block the blow with her weapon, but the sword easily sliced through it, and Celeste was dead.

Her cannon sounded and Gloss was by my side instantly. The pain was almost unbearable as he pulled the quills out. She hadn't hit anything vital, but it would be a kill hit without medical treatment. I'd bleed to death, and Gloss isn't about to bandage me up while we're the last two tributes in the games.

Gloss looked on the verge of tears as he sat by my side. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of the right words, so I thought of words for him. "Are you going to keep the promise that I made?" I said with much more harshness than was meant. Gloss' eyes widened in shock at what I was asking him to do. I'd rather get stabbed in the heart or my throat slit and bleed to death fast than bleed to death slowly from those quills.

"Varin... No, I-I can't..." He held my hand as he said those words. "I'll make you." I said as I mustered all of my strength and reached for my sickle. He stopped me and held me down as I struggled to break free. "Don't make me do this, Varin!" He was crying and yelling now.

I kicked him off of me as I grabbed the sickle and tried to stand up. It took a lot of effort, but I managed. I raised the sickle and brought it down towards his head, but he stopped me in time. His sword stopped the blade and I dropped it, not being able to hold on any longer. I started to fall to the ground, but he caught me in time and laid me down.

"Do it now, Gloss!" I yelled at him. This hurt so bad, but I could tell I would be alive for a while if he didn't do anything. He pulled out his knife that he has had since day one and crawled on top of me. "I am so sorry, Varin..." He whispered as he pressed his lips against mine. Slowly he pulled away and looked me over.

Raising his hand with the knife, he finally did what I had been asking and brought it down on my chest, stabbing my heart. It hurt bad at first, but by the time the blood was trickling out of my mouth, I couldn't feel anything.

Gloss sat over me, still crying his eyes out. I may not have won, but he did, and he gets his wish. I guess that's all that matters.

**Phew, that was hard to write. I changed my idea like, 10 times. That's why it took so long to write. I hope you guys liked it! (There's going to be one more chapter with Lucille and Gloss' POV. Just throwing that out there so you don't all think it's over.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, the 68th annual Hunger Games have ended, and this is the aftermath. There will be two sections, Lucille's POV and Gloss' POV. This chapter is going to be really, really short, but I feel like it's a necessary part of the story, just to finish it off.**

THE AFTERMATH – PART I

(Lucille's POV)

The tear silently fell down my cheek as the cannon sounded. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present to you the victor of the 68th annual Hunger games, Gloss Melrose!" No. This can't be happening, he was so, so close. It was down to him and just one other tribute. This can't be happening.

"No... No, no, no!" I threw my glass of water at the window, the glass shattering against the plexiglass of the Capitol building. Cashmere, Wiress, Beetee, Mags, and Anther, the male mentor from 5, were the only ones in the lounge to see my outburst. Cashmere glared at me, but I held her gaze. Wiress and Beetee noticed the intensity and left the room immediately. Anther was too busy mourning Sabrina's death to notice, and Mags was watching intently. She always stayed to give support, and she told tales of things like this happening every year.

I wasn't about to cause another altercation, though. Cashmere turned away eventually and sat down beside Anther, burying her face in her hands while she was crying. They were tears of joy, of course, but maybe of sadness, too. Gloss wouldn't be the same, he nearly went crazy in the arena.

I should be used to this after eight consecutive years of having two children die that you get attached too, but this is harder. I nearly broke down when Katalina died, and now I'm about to with Varin. These two had such potential, that's why it's so much harder. They didn't die in the bloodbath like all of my other tributes had, they hadn't been completely miserable while we were here like all the other tributes had. They had personality, determination. They had a chance.

I fell to my knees and started crying. I'm glad District 2 died earlier in the games, Enobaria would hang me if I cried in front of her. Mags sat on the chair near me and just waited on me to calm down, saying encouraging statements every now and then. But it didn't change the fact that they were gone. Forever. And the cycle will continue, on and on, until I'm gone or until two more victors come to take my place. It's almost too much to bare, but I am a victor, and I have to do it.

Only a couple of hours later, I'm on the train back to District 9, having dinner with Karlyn. She's a fairly sensible woman, considering she's from the Capitol. She tried her best to comfort me while we were at dinner, but it wasn't working. As she got up to excuse herself, she said one last thing to me, which probably changed my life forever.

"You know, Lucille, there is a little phrase that my mother used to tell me when a loved one would die," She paused and looked up in a nostalgic way before she continued. "Together forever, never apart, maybe in distance, never in heart. They may be gone from the Earth, Lucille, but they'll always be with you, in here." She said as she pointed at her chest. "I hope that helps, if you need to talk, I'm always here." Karlyn said as she excused herself from dinner.

The phrase stuck with me, and I found myself repeating it over and over again. Strangely, it did help. So much. What she said was exactly right, they may be gone physically, but I'll always have them, and they'll always have me.

THE AFTERMATH – PART II

(Gloss' POV)

The Victory Tour has been racing by. Districts 12 and 11 were fairly easy to cope with, as I had killed neither one of their tributes. 10 was somewhat hard to deal with because I killed the boy in the bloodbath. Aaron was his name, I learned that at the stop at 10.

His older sister by one year glared at me the whole time, not showing a hint of sadness. His mother and little brother, on the other hand, had been weeping intensely. I couldn't keep eye contact with his sister, it reminded me too much of the boy whose neck I slashed open with a knife. Every time I looked at her, Aaron's dead body enters my mind. Limp, lifeless, covered in his own blood, and it was all my fault.

I didn't even know him and I found myself on the verge of tears after we left the Justice Building of District 10. The next stop is what will haunt me the most, though. District 9, the home of Varin Terill. The seventeen year old boy that I tried to kill once before the deed was actually done. By my hands.

The whole time I'm asleep is haunted by nightmares, of him crawling over the edge of the cliff on the last day of the games, when Celeste shot him with the air gun, and his last, feeble attempt to try and kill me so I would have no choice but to kill him. I woke up screaming and Cashmere was quickly by my side, clearly knowing what was wrong.

"Gloss, remember, you may have delivered the death blow, but you did NOT kill him." She said. I didn't get what she meant, and this must have been obvious, because she started to explain. "The girl from 3, when she shot him, he was dead then. No way would he have survived that. He forced your hand, he would've killed you if you didn't kill him. It isn't your fault." Cashmere put an emphasis on the last sentence. "Now get ready, we have to get off soon, you slept for a pretty long time."

She was right, the sun was shining full force and we were entering the fields of grain that surround the entirety of District 9. I pulled on my clothes and readied myself for the awful experience that was sure to ensue.

I arrived at the Justice Building, just like every other District. It was the nicest one I had seen so far, four stories tall, balconies on all sides. It didn't seem to have structural damage like the other Districts, either. Cashmere and I were introduced to the mayor shortly before the ceremony started. He seemed nice, and accepting enough, considering that I killed the tribute that could have given them a plethora of supplies for an entire year.

We walked out onto the fourth floor balcony to start the ceremony. The looks of all the people shocked me, they all had the same brown hair and green eyes. Of course, there was the occasional odd one out that had blonde or black hair, but the majority had a look that was near exact to both Varin and Katalina. Another thing they had in common is that they knew how to glare. Practically everyone in the crowd had their eyes fixed on me in sharp concentration. If looks could kill... I would be dead a thousand times over.

Cashmere was on my right, holding my hand to make sure I was okay. The Mayor and Lucille Theron, the most recent victor from District 9, were on my left. She was glaring, too. The only ones that didn't seem to have rage filled eyes fixed on me were Cashmere, the Mayor, and the peacekeepers.

The Mayor began a prepared speech that was present at every District. That's when I noticed, there was no one in Varin's family section, and only one lady in Katalina's. The lady had a ferret on a leash, and I have a feeling that the ferret is Katalina's only family... Not the woman. But there is absolutely no one in Varin's family section.

We have had tributes that had no family before, like the boy from 8 in Cashmere's games. Instead of his family, they put something of importance that belonged to him in that space. I had seen it before on other victors Victory Tours, too. But there was absolutely nothing.

He had nothing... And all Katalina had was a ferret... I instantly felt so much regret for killing him. I didn't just end his life, I erased it. There was no sign that District 9 had even had a male tribute this year. Someone that meant so much to me these past few weeks didn't even own anything of importance back in his home District. It was too much.

As soon as the ceremony ended and I finished my speech, I went for the bathroom to 'freshen up.' My eyes were red and puffy from holding back tears, but now I let them flow freely. I had completely took all signs of life of that man off of this planet. Erased it. No one would remember him, because there was nothing too remember... The first volunteer for District 9, but that wasn't that important. But the person he had volunteered for was important. And they were required to be at the dinner.

I left the bathroom without even drying my eyes or fixing my shirt from where I had been nervously playing with it. The dining room fell quiet as I barged in, looking the family that had their son saved by Varin Terill right in the eye. "I am so, so, sorry..." I told them, my voice barely audible. The glare softened just a bit, just enough to let me know that they understood. That doesn't mean that they forgave me, this doesn't mean that I forgive myself, but it means that the only people that will have a lasting impression of Varin Terill will know that I regret what I have done.

THE END


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